LA Angels rivals' new Manager hire shows they may not be finished

The LA Angels AL West Rival, the Oakland Athletics, have just hired Mark Kotsay as their new Manager.

Kotsay is a former long-time player in the league, as many of you may remember. Many of you may also remember him as the third base coach for the Athletics. He's been coaching with the A's since 2015.

The 46-year-old is respected in this league, and has a good resume that suggests why he has been hired. He's been a hitting coach in this league before (Padres), he's been a bench coach in this league before, he's been a Quality Control coach in this league before, and he's of course been a third base coach in this league before. It was time for him to become a MLB Manager, and here he is.

The A's have been rumored to soon host a fire sale this offseason, with key players such as Matt Olson and Matt Chapman being involved in many trade rumors. They didn't re-sign Starling Marte, and Chris Bassitt and Frankie Montas have been involved in trade rumors as well. Heck, those two have even been rumored to be serious possibilities for the Angels.

Now that the A's went with an internal hire to coach their team, perhaps they aren't opposed to setting this whole team on fire just yet. Perhaps they're going to trust this process; a process that Kotsay has been a part of for quite some time now.

The LA Angels may not see their division rival give up just yet as they enter 2022.

Coming into this offseason, it appeared that the LA Angels may have a bit of an easier time stocking up and competing with their division next year. The Astros were likely to lose Carlos Correa, Zack Greinke, and Justin Verlander. The A's were likely to lose everyone.

Sure enough, the Astros re-signed Verlander, proving that they still want to compete next year. Now, the A's have signed an up-and-coming coach, and for what it's worth haven't traded those previously mentioned key pieces.

Of course, there's a leaguewide lockout. However, it is possible that the hiring of Kotsay, who was very involved with Bob Melvin and his visions of the team in the past, is still interested in pursuing the same visions the previous staff did. Maybe Kotsay sees this opportunity as a chance to settle some unfinished business.

Either way, many project him to be a good Manager. The Angels need to continue working to improve this team after the lockout ends. Nothing will be given in this division.