Angels announce Perry Minasian firing (and replacement) in most Angels way possible

Most outside observers thought that Perry Minasian's days were numbered running the Los Angeles Angels. The team continued to play poorly under his watch, and his moves were widely panned across the league, plus there is the problem that Arte Moreno is both impatient and a franchise saboteur in some ways. The only question was whether Moreno would fire him before the draft, or if he would let him finish the 2026 season and let the chips fall where they may.

Well, we have our answer and it came absolutey out of nowhere. On the same day that the Mets relieved manager Carlos Mendoza of his duties, the Angels fired Minasian, and named former top Cardinals executive John Mozeliak as the interim general manager. Predictably, there own announcement tweet buried the lede in masterful fashion.

Angels shock everyone with the firing of Perry Minasian (or at least the timing of it)

While the move and timing of it was shocking, it might actually be more shocking that Mozeliak is jumping back in the saddle so quickly after leaving the Cardinals' front office. It is unclear if Mozeliak is going to stick around in any capacity after the interim tag is removed, but that Moreno tabbed such a respected executive for the move does hint that this was in the works for a while.

There is a method to the madness here. There are two very critical events coming up in Major League Baseball: the MLB Draft and the trade deadline. Assuming a world where Moreno had already decided that Minasian was going to be out, it is actually completely fair to decide that he didn't want Minasian making anymore decisions that could dictate the Angels' direction. Because of the timing coming so close to the draft, going with an experienced executive like Mozeliak could make the transition much easier than if he hired someone that had never run a draft room before on three weeks notice.

What happens next is going to be fascinating. MLB insider Jon Heyman is hinting that the Angels could soon make a change at manager now and that hiring Mozeliak could lead Albert Pujols back to LA after those previously failed managerial talks. Whatever the case may be and how the Angels go about their business from this point on, it is brave new world.

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