3 dream Angels manager candidates that feel out of reach

It's safe to say the Phil Nevin experiment failed for the Los Angeles Angels. He was given the interim manager position after Joe Maddon was fired in 2022, but had that removed prior to the 2023 season. Nevin was put in charge of one of the most important seasons in franchise history with Shohei Ohtani's future in the balance and led the Angels to a 73-win season despite the team making a serious effort to make the postseason.

Nevin was never really qualified for the job and had many more struggles than successes in 2023. The Angels parted ways with their skipper and are once again looking for a new manager. We've seen names like Buck Showalter, Darin Erstad, and Benji Gil linked to the Angels but there're some other managers Angels fans would love to see.

As much as Angels fans would love one of these three to manage the team, it's very unlikely they'll be able to seal the deal because of how unattractive their opening is. Still, it's fun to dream!

1) Craig Counsell

The biggest name of available managers is without a doubt Craig Counsell who is set to become a free agent on November 1. Counsell has had a ton of success with the Brewers and could be looking for a new challenge.

Counsell has spent nine years in Milwaukee, compiling a record of 707=625. After missing the postseason in each of his first three years with the Brewers, he's made the playoffs in four of the last five years. The only year in which his Brewers missed the postseason came in 2022, and they still won 86 games. For context, this Angels team hasn't made the postseason once since before Counsell began managing in 2015. This past season the Brewers won 92 games and the NL Central.

Counsell having the success he's had with such a small market team like the Brewers is remarkable. He has his teams constantly in the mix for a postseason berth, and deserves a ton of credit for that. He's going to look for a lot of money from one of the available openings, and that's where Arte Moreno should try and seal the deal. If he's able to have that kind of success in Milwaukee, it feels like he's capable of having a lot of success for a big spending team like the Angels even if Shohei Ohtani departs.