Angels speeding towards uncomfortable reality after Pirates' Derek Shelton decision

The Los Angeles Angels are only four games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the overall MLB standings right now, and might need to consider doing what the Buckos just did with their manager. The Pirates relieved Derek Shelton of his managerial duties in early-May, a move that shocked and upset the baseball world given the hand he was dealt heading into the 2025 season. While firing a manager who was given little-to-no support from his front office and ownership group is pretty unfair, the fact of the matter is his team has been far from competitive this year. Let's just say this -- there is definitely more cause for the Angels to fire Ron Washington than there was for the Pirates to can Shelton...

Angels speeding towards uncomfortable reality after Pirates' Derek Shelton decision

Last season, the Pirates were a plucky team that out-performed expectations by getting the most out of their players -- a testament to the player development department that Derek Shelton oversaw. However, the Pirates are one of the worst teams in baseball right now and wanted to shake things up. Shelton was managing a Pittsburgh team that spent as little money as possible this offseason to bolster their roster (they essentially signed Tommy Pham then called it a day), and is sheltering their top, MLB-ready prospects in the minors despite their major league team's woes. They have yet to utilize Jared Jones, their second best starter, this season and are letting Bubba Chandler waste away in Triple-A. If Shelton got fired, then many other managers in the league should feel their seat start to warm.

The Angels are 4-11 in their last 15 games and rank towards the bottom of the league in many statistical categories. After a hot start in which got them atop the American League West after 12 games, they have starting free-falling in the general landscape of the league. The front office is frantically making moves in order to mitigate their weaknesses, but at the end of the day somebody is going to get scapegoated. Just like what happened to Shelton.

Ron Washington is on the last year of his deal with the Angels, and most fans would bet that he will not be back for 2026 just given what they have seen this season. The Angels' record is not entirely Washington's fault, but his post-game quotes sometimes ring fans the wrong way since he rarely owns up to his poor decision making and is prone to throwing his players under the bus for not performing "between the white lines" (a line the skipper uses often).

The Halos are about to face Baltimore (who are below the Angels in the standings) after winning a series for the first time in two weeks against Toronto. After facing the O's, the Halos will take on the Padres, Dodgers, and their division rival A's (the Angels have been abysmal against AL West opponents). Barring a miracle, the Angels will likely plummet further in the standings and the team evaluators might need to seriously consider relieving Wash of his duties earlier than expected. Oh, and the Angels lost two out of three to the Pirates this year. So, there's that.

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