Angels may not be planning the Kurt Suzuki change that seemed increasingly inevitable

Ever since Kurt Suzuki signed a one-year deal to be the manager of the Los Angeles Angels, it has seemed like he’s a lame duck. He was entering such an odd situation with a detested owner in Arte Moreno and a general manager in Perry Minasian who was in the final year of his contract.

That’s not the most enviable position to enter, especially for a first-time manager, but Suzuki may not be one-and-done as everyone has assumed for basically this entire year.

A lot has changed since he was named manager. Moreno is no longer expected to be the principal owner as Stan Kroenke will take over that role. Minasian is out, replaced by John Mozeliak on an interim basis, but he seems likely to take on a full-time role after the season.

There have already been shakeups to the coaching staff since Mozeliak took over. The Angels replaced pitching coach Mike Maddux with a coach Mozeliak had familiarity with in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, signalring that he will be with the Angels beyond this season.

That’s why it is very noteworthy what Mozeliak recently had to say about Suzuki. When asked about Suzuki’s future as manager, Mozeliak said the following:

“I’ve really enjoyed working with him. I find him very impressive. It’s always hard to judge managers, especially when your team is struggling. But there’s a lot going on down there, and I think overall he’s making the best of it.”

Angels may not be ready to move on from Kurt Suzuki despite growing expectations

Those are some very positive words despite the fact that Suzuki has presided over an Angels team that is one of the worst in baseball. That’s obviously not entirely his fault since the roster he had to work with was substandard to say the least, but does this suggest Suzuki could be back?

Perhaps Mozeliak decides he doesn’t want to rock the boat too much and thinks it’s important that some of the younger players on the team have a little bit of stability at manager after 2025 saw Ron Washington step down due to health concerns.

At the same time, Mozeliak's comments have the feel of a guy who knows he is going to have to let Suzuki go but wants him to land another job elsewhere, so he’s trying to talk him up a little bit.

Mozeliak understands Suzuki was put in an impossible situation and he might be trying to boost the guy’s stock so he can go land a bench coach job or work in the front office for another organization.

Suzuki’s departure may not be as immient as it once seemed, but it still feels like the most likely outcome, even if Mozeliak’s comments make for a little more uncertainty going forward.

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