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Names Are Finally Floated For Angels Top Job, But No Hires Are Coming
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- Names Are Finally Floated For Angels Top Job, But No Hires Are Coming
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Los Angeles Angels have suddenly become MLB's most mysterious team , which isn't easy to do. It used to be the Halos were just plain horrible and completely depressing, but now they've become something very different with a deep-pockets owner poised to step in and take control.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic got in on the name-dropping action on Tuesday, and it was typical over-the-top stuff. Rosenthal likes to drop names to show how strategically connected he is, and he mentioned Matt Arnold and Erik Neander of the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively, as the first two head of baseball operations types that new owner Stan Kroenke should call.
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It's not a bad idea, but it's also not that innovative or connected. In fact, Kroenke may have already made those calls along with multiple others by reaching out to agents and such, but there's one little problem with all this that's actually a potential big problem.
Specifically, the Angels can't actually hire a head of baseball ops until Kroenke is approved by the owners and takes complete control of the team. It's expected to be a boilerplate vote on the viability of the new owner, but that's where things get tricky, and it's also where the mystery and intrigue starts.
Per Rosenthal, that vote could take place next month, after the start of the lockout. This wouldn't do the Angels much good given that the GM meetings take place next week, which raises the question of whether the Halos could be informally represented at the meetings.
The potential here is huge, as we all know. The Angels are sitting on the edge of one of the biggest markets in baseball, and Kroenke is worth a reported $27.6 billion, according to Rosenthal. If the owner decides to swing big right away -- with "right away" being totally up in the air at the moment -- the Angels could become quick contenders, which would change the baseball landscape.
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While Rosenthal's piece was all about rumors and short on genuine information, it does represent the first thing representing real movement regarding the Angels situation in quite a while.
Most of what we've gotten since the trade deadline is boilerplate updates from interim GM John Mozeliak, who finally announced that the Angels will be moving on from manager Kurt Suzuki and he won't be staying past his contract expiration date in December.
The next thing to watch for is some sort of announcement, formal or otherwise, about the Angels' situation and status. Multiple sources are undoubtedly feeding Rosenthal all sorts of possibilities that define their interests and what they're looking for behind the scenes, and this could set the stage for something along those lines before the GM meetings begin.
