Angels had no easy choice in Ron Washington dilemma

News broke Tuesday morning that the Angels would be moving on from Ron Washington as manager of the team as well as parting ways with Ray Montgomery, who served as Washington's top bench coach and interim manager when Washington was forced to step away due to health issues. The team collapsed under Montgomery, ending the season with 72 wins and dead last in the American League West. And now, Halo fans wishes have been granted.

The decision on Montgomery was likely easy for Arte Moreno and the Angels' front office. He consistently showed an inability to get the Angels over the hump throughout July before the team fell apart in August and September. Washington, however, was a harder decision to make.

Angels faced a no-win scenario in Ron Washington firing

There is little chance someone would argue that the Angels were successful under Ron Washington's command. His record as manager in Anaheim was 99-137, good for a .419 winning percentage (a worse mark than the 2025 Pittsburgh Pirates. This season, however, the team seemed to play better and have a higher belief in themselves with Washington in the dugout than when Montgomery was at the steering wheel. From a purely baseball perspective, keeping Washington would have been acceptable and justifiable. But there are much bigger things than baseball going on here.

Even if Ron Washington had guided the Angels to the best record in the American League going into July, the question of his health would still be at the forefront of the decision making process for the Angels' organization. Washington's quadruple bypass surgery was no small operation, and it does fall on the Angels to decide whether bringing him back for his final season is safe or not. Washington publicly stated his desire to return, but ultimately the Angels decided the risk was not worth the reward.

This was the definition of a double-edged sword for the Angels. Either they adhere to Washington's wishes and bring him back despite the health scare he went through earlier this season or they do what they ultimately decided on: deny his wishes to return despite some evidence that he had finally broken through with this clubhouse (the Angels had gone 20-13 in the 33 games leading up to Washington's leave).

Was Ron Washington the absolute best person to be leading the Angels into 2026? Maybe, but probably not. He is, however, 73-years old and coming off of a major surgery. Maybe in a perfect world he could have helped the next Halo skipper learn the job. But as Halo fans know, this is not a perfect world.

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