Perry Minasian, nearing the end of his initial four-year contract, will return as general manager of the Los Angeles Angels, a source close to the situation told ESPN on Thursday.
Minasian and the Angels recently agreed to terms on a new deal that will keep him atop baseball operations, though the length of the new contract is unknown.
The Angels haven’t been competitive in Minasian’s four years in the role, finishing with no more than 77 wins from 2021 to 2023 while currently on pace in 2024 for 93 losses, the most by the franchise since 1980. Their farm system, meanwhile, was once again considered the worst in the industry when ESPN released its latest rankings two weeks ago.
But longtime Angels owner Arte Moreno opted for stability after cycling through four full-time GMs from 2011 to 2021. Minasian — a bat boy who became a clubhouse attendant, then learned to scout and went on to front office roles with the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves, rising to assistant GM — replaced Billy Eppler coming off the COVID-shortened 2020 season and struggled to win with a front-loaded roster and a barren farm system.
Under Minasian, Los Angeles received three transcendent seasons from two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani but struggled to keep fellow superstars Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon healthy. The cast around them left much to be desired. Minasian made headlines by steering an all-pitcher draft in 2021, but none of the 20 arms selected have yet made a significant impact on the big league roster.
However, under Minasian’s watch, the Angels have acquired some potential building blocks in catcher Logan O’Hoppe, first baseman Nolan Schanuel, shortstop Zach Neto, right-hander Ben Joyce and second baseman Christian Moore, the latter of whom was taken in the first round of last month’s draft and is already thriving in Double-A. The new coaching staff, led by manager Ron Washington, has drawn positive reviews for its development of young players. And the franchise’s issues date much further back than Minasian’s hiring.
The Angels will miss the postseason for the 10th consecutive year in 2024 and will soon clinch their ninth consecutive losing record. Their last playoff win occurred in 2009, even though Trout dominated the 2010s and Ohtani did what only Babe Ruth could in the early part of the 2020s. Los Angeles — a franchise that claimed an unlikely World Series title in 2002 and won five division titles from 2004 to 2009, all under longtime manager Mike Scioscia — lost the consistent prospect pipeline that once made it successful and couldn’t patch its myriad of holes through free agency.
It all came to a head in summer 2023. A hot stretch in July put the Angels on the precipice of contention and ultimately prompted the front office — Moreno specifically — to keep Ohtani rather than trade him months before free agency. Rather than inject their farm system with some much-needed young talent, the Angels traded what little top-shelf prospects they had for veteran reinforcements, then lost 19 of 27 games in August and later watched Ohtani leave to the crosstown Los Angeles Dodgers in the ensuing offseason.
The Angels are now navigating through what seems like a transitional period, waiting for their young players to develop and hoping Trout and Rendon can remain healthy.
Minasian will continue to guide them through it.