Insider rightfully pours cold water on Angels' Kurt Suzuki hire due to Arte Moreno

Arte Moreno's more thorough process for hiring the Angels' next manager was not because he wanted to cast a wide net, it was because Moreno and Albert Pujols had a falling out in negotiations for multiple reasons. It was widely reported that Moreno was gung-ho on hiring Pujols weeks ago, which would have been fine. However, it made little to no sense to not interview several other candidates who were likely more qualified and were better fits than Pujols. The process ended up being fine, but Moreno showed that he still does not have a grasp on what it means to be a successful owner.

Kurt Suzuki profited off of the falling out with Moreno and Pujols, and Torii Hunter for that matter, as the former Angels catcher won the job. Hiring Suzuki does feel like the correct move for the organization, but an MLB insider made some valid points when discussing how he will impact a team run by Moreno.

Insider rightfully pours cold water on Angels' Kurt Suzuki hire due to Arte Moreno

Here is what Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic had to say about the Suzuki hiring and how it might turn out for both Suzuki and the Angels: "I do have doubt that any manager can succeed in Anaheim...for Kurt Suzuki, for Perry Minasian their GM, the challenge is working for an owner who is committed in his own way. Not committed like you would want to see him committed to winning. So, I don't know. I wish Kurt the best...will he be a great manager?... Do I count on this being a success? I can't count on this being a success, no."

When a new manager is hired, nobody is going to say that it is a bad hire in a vacuum. Even the worst hire of all-time is not viewed as that initially, as it is impossible to quantify how somebody will do with a new situation. Suzuki's tenure in Anaheim is going to be graded on a curve, like Ron Washington's, like Phil Nevin's and like Joe Maddon's should (not you, Brad Ausmus). Arte Moreno's presence is clearly an impediment on the organization, and there simply is nothing Suzuki can do to operate outside of his purview.

Look at what's taken place during the Angels' offseason so far. The optics are terrible, especially when it comes to the latest criticism Yusei Kikuchi and former Angels outfielder Kevin Pillar have alleged towards the organization. Kikuchi said the weight room did not have a working air conditioning, then Pillar jumped in and said the team's hot tub was constantly defective and the internal workings of the clubhouse were outdated. So, barring Suzuki and Minasian convincing Moreno to clean up his dirty laundry and renovate Angel Stadium, free agents will not view the Angels as an optimal destination. That criticism of the Angels is not new, and there are many other factors at play that we won't get into here right now.

The Angels needed a manager who can find success independent of ownership. Rocco Baldelli seemed like a qualified candidate given what he did in Minnesota with that whole situation with the sale of the team and lack of financial commitment. Can Suzuki do that? Like Rosenthal said, it's hard to confidently declare that he can succeed given how far behind the Angels are from the rest of Major League Baseball. You never know, though!