Angels announce new manager as dark horse candidate wins job over Albert Pujols

The Los Angeles Angels have a penchant for drama, and the search for their next manager was no exception. Angels fans were either bracing for or embracing the announcement that Albert Pujols was going to manage the 2026 Angels, but Arte Moreno and the future first ballot Hall of Famer quibbled over nearly every aspect of what it would take for Pujols to accept the job. Pujols was once named as Moreno's top choice for the job, but he fell out of Moreno's good graces and is now likely a favorite to land the Baltimore Orioles or San Diego Padres job.

No, Torii Hunter is not the man for the job either. During an absolute classic Game 7 of the ALCS between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, it was reported that Hunter was not the man for the job either. Both Pujols and Hunter were viewed as the odds-on favorites to manage the Angels next year and beyond.

The one-and-only "Beyond The Halo" was first on the news, but Jon Heyman of The New York Post was the first verified reporter to announce that Kurt Suzuki will manage the Angels. Suzuki was in the mix to manage the Giants, but he will instead move from special assistant to Perry Minasian and into the manager's chair.

Angels announce new manager as dark horse candidate wins job over Albert Pujols

Will Suzuki be a better manager than Albert Pujols? Who's to say. However, if you're looking for a comparison point for Suzuki as a manager, Stephen Vogt is a solid reference. Vogt, who is the manager of the Cleveland Guardians, was a former catcher who is lauded for his extraordinary personality and intellect. Suzuki AKA "Zuk" fits that description to a tee -- he's gregarious, forms great relationships with every single person in the organization, sharp and is next-level competitive.

Suzuki played for 16-years in The Show, and he was hired immediately upon his retirement by Minasian as a special assistant due to his feel for a clubhouse, his humor, toughness, brilliant baseball instincts, and love for the game. Suzuki has no big league managerial experience, but there is no doubt he will be able to manage the players' personalities and provide the Angels with cutting-edge in-game strategy due to his extensive background in the game.

Suzuki played for the Halos from 2021-2022, so he was teammates with current position players in Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Logan O'Hoppe (crucially) and the guy he beat out for the managerial job in Albert Pujols. He either caught or shared a clubhouse with current pitchers in the Angels org in Reid Detmers and Chase Silseth! Those are somehow the only two remaining pitchers from the 2021 and 2022 Angels.

It was previously reported that the new manager would be free to pick their own coaching staff. So, with Suzuki helming the coaching staff, it will be incredibly interesting to monitor which members of the MLB Player Development staff he retains and which he replaces given that Suzuki was with the organization the past three years.