Angels give fans Ron Washington, Ray Montgomery announcement they were begging for

As teams were firing members of their coaching staff and front office on MLB's "Black Monday," the Angels were standing pat. Fans were awaiting Arte Moreno's decision on whether he would pick up Ron Washington's managerial option for 2026, would remove the interim tag from Ray Montgomery's job title or relieve Perry Minasian of his duties with a year left on his general manager contract.

Well, Moreno finally made his decision on both Washington and Montgomery and did so in one fell swoop. There is no word on Minasian as of yet.

Angels give fans Ron Washington, Ray Montgomery announcement they were begging for

The Los Angeles Angels will have a new manager in 2026, the team announced today. Neither Washington nor Montgomery will manage the team next season. Washington had his club option declined, and he will become a free agent of sorts. Washington previously told the media he has no interest in a cushy special assistant to the GM-type role in a front office, and would prefer having a hands-on, player-facing role in a team's dugout next season.

There is no word as of yet with regards to what will happen with Montgomery, although the team's next manager would presumably want to bring in their own bench coach -- the role Montgomery held before becoming interim manager. In fact, the entirety of the Angels coaching staff is likely in danger of losing their positions because of this news. Perhaps Montgomery could move back into a front office position if Minasian is retained? Minasian brought on Montgomery as the Angels director for player personnel when he was hired as GM, and the two have a good working relationship.

The Angels combined to go 135-189 the past two seasons, when Washington became the team's manager, and finished in last place of the American League West both seasons (the Angels had not finished in last place of a division back-to-back years since 1974-1975). The Angels' .417 win percentage since the beginning of Washington's tenure was the third worst in baseball in that time.

Washington, who was the oldest manager in baseball, was forced to take a leave of absence in late-June -- he needed to undergo a quadruple bypass heart surgery. The Angels were a below average team with Washington as their skipper, but one of the worst teams in baseball when Montgomery took over. The Angels posted the fourth-worst win percentage in baseball under Montgomery's tenure as interim manager.

The way Washington's time with LAA ended was more than unfortunate, and it stinks that his role was taken away from him because of health concerns. However, his entire mantra was fixing the team's infield defense...and let's just say, he did not accomplish that. It was time to move on from Wash and Monty despite the Angels players, particularly the young ones, desperately needing continuity with the coaching staff.

It just so happens that Rocco Baldelli, Bruce Bochy and Bob Melvin are all free agents now. Any one of those three managers would be a massive upgrade for the Angels, they all bring unique perspectives and a history of winning that the organization desperately needs. Angels fans would be happy with any of those three stepping in, they are clearly superior options over previous managerial hires like Washington, Phil Nevin, Joe Maddon and Brad Ausmus. Not for nothing, but Torii Hunter, Darin Erstad or Albert Pujols would also bring some dynamism should they be brought on.

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