Angels make coaching changes without a manager as Kurt Suzuki accepts new role

The Los Angeles Angels are in a state of limbo right now as they wait for Stan Kroenke's purchase of the team to be approved, but that has not stopped them from making some coaching staff changes. Kurt Suzuki will stay with the organization, and some of the coaching changes that seemed to have John Mozeliak’s fingerprints all over them have been undone.

Suzuki was relieved of his duties as manager but Mozeliak spoke highly of him, which seemed to keep the door open to the former Angels catcher keeping some role within the organization. He will be a special assistant per reporter Jeff Fletcher, which is the same title he held before he was hired as manager.

As for pitching coach Tim Leveque and bullpen coach Michael Wuertz, they will both be retained in minor-league roles. This comes after Mozeliak got rid of pitching coach Mike Maddux and installed Leveque, a guy he had familiarity with from their time together in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

The move seemed to work well, as the pitching staff put up some really good numbers immediately following the change, but since Mozeliak is going to be leaving after his interim role is up, the Angels will understandably reassess things and make more concrete coaching decisions once a new manager is in place.

Angels are making coaching staff changes, but still need a manager

At least the Angels now know who the Houston Astros have hired as their manager. Brad Ausmus will be Houston’s new skipper, so now the Halos are the only game in town for anyone who wants to be a big-league manager.

The process will take time, though, because the Angels first have to be officially sold to Kroenke. Once that happens, then the next step will be hiring a new GM or head of the baseball operations department. Then, that person will be responsible with selecting a new manager.

We will see how this all plays out, but there is a decent chance that the lockout will begin in early December and the Angels won’t have a GM or a manager in place.

These coaching staff changes just reflect the fact that a lot of decisions still have to be made. It’s a complicated time for the Angels, but at least they are retaining some individuals who showed aptitude in Leveque and Wuertz. Plus, even though Suzuki’s tenure as manager didn’t go well, he is still a good resource to have in the organization.

There is still a lot of uncertainty with the team but the fact that they are making coaching decisions like this shows that things have not completely ground to a halt.

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