Angels' search to replace Kurt Suzuki gets early boost from Red Sox and Mets decisions

Kurt Suzuki's seat was automatically hot when he agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels last winter. The general manager and the owner who were at the helm when he joined the organization are both gone. If that isn't enough of a sign that a change is coming, the fact that the club is hurtling towards a franchise record in losses should be the final nail in the coffin.

Normally, the skipper job in Anaheim would be a tough sell. However, despite this year's failings, there's actually a lot to be optimistic about. The market just gave Los Angeles a big boost, too.

The playoff-bound Boston Red Sox took the interim tag off Chad Tracy, locking him up through 2029. The New York Mets quickly followed suit, did the same with a three-year contract for their formerly interim manager Andy Green.

The Mets and Red Sox were two big-market teams that were expected to be premier managerial openings. By retaining their interim managers, the Angels will move up the pecking order for the top candidates. There will still be other jobs that open up, but the Halos are going to start looking more and more attractive.

There are plenty of reasons for high-end managerial candidates to choose the Angels over other opportunities

Right now, Los Angeles is full of possibilities. There's an impressive young core that can be built around if that's the path that John Mozeliak chooses. The veteran executive could also decide to deal two of the league's best trade chips, Reid Detmers and Zach Neto, to further transform a rising farm system.

Then there's the prospect of working for the league's new richest owner. We don't know for sure what Stan Kroenke's ownership will look like, but if his track record with any of his many other professional sports franchises is any indication, he'll invest heavily in talent and all the support infrastructure needed to win, and then stay out of the way.

The last point in Los Angeles's favor is the fact that whoever takes the job likely gets a mulligan for 2027. The sale to Kroenke isn't expected to close until January at the earliest, and the potential for a lockout will make the offseason a truncated mess of uncertainty. It could very well be the case that, aside from some odds and ends, the version of the club we see today won't be very different than what we've seen in 2026.

With that said, even if 2027 isn't all that different, the promise that the future holds is much greater. Anaheim could soon be the kind of free-agent destination that lured superstars like Vladimir Guerrero and Shohei Ohtani in the past. Whoever ends up taking the job would be getting in on the ground floor of the Angels' ascent.

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