Perry Minasian sealed his fate as Angels' GM with post-trade deadline comments
This was unacceptable.
It's over. No, not the MLB trade deadline, even though that's in the rearview mirror as well. But Perry Minasian's time as Los Angeles Angels GM is all but caput after the top-ranking executive in LA's front office was asleep at the switch through the final hours of the MLB trade deadline on Tuesday.
Angels fans, who knew that the Halos had a great opportunity to upgrade the team's minor league pipeline before the 6 p.m. ET deadline Tuesday, were constantly refreshing their social media feeds hoping that Minasian would do something to help bolster one of the worst farm systems in the league.
But alas, the deadline expired and the Angels did exactly what everyone in Anaheim feared they would — virtually nothing. And that's how Angels fans will remember their now lame duck GM.
Perry Minasian sealed his fate as Angels' GM with post-trade deadline comments
The Angels so clearly, perhaps more than any other team at this year's deadline, had the opportunity to use the seller's market to their advantage. Teams were paying high prices, in terms of prospect capital, for pitching. Angels fans saw that firsthand with the return LA received after trading away Carlos Esteves. And for that, Minasian should receive a pat on the back.
But Minasian deserves a kick in the pants after Tuesday's deadline saw the Angels merely trade awayLuis Garcia to the Boston Red Sox for a package of three mediocre prospects. Why wasn't Tyler Anderson traded?
The Cincinnati Reds received a decent return for Frankie Montas, who's having a horrific season compared to Anderson. Was Minasian paying attention to what the Houston Astros gave up in order to land Yusei Kikuchi for two months? Were the Los Angeles Dodgers not interested in a reunion with the southpaw? How about the New York Yankees or Baltimore Orioles? Both teams needed pitching.
Sam Blum of The Athletic asked the Angels' GM about the moves, or lack thereof. When asked about whether or not the Halos could contend in 2025, Minasian replied with a two word answer, "We'll see." As a follow up, Minasian was asked about owner Arte Moreno's role in trade discussions, and LA's top executive stated that he has autonomy to make decisions.
If that's true, and there's surely a debate about whether or not it is, then Minasian should not return in 2025. The Angels signed Minasian to a four-year deal in 2020, so it's up at the end of the year anyway. There's just no excuse to have the assets that the Angels did and not capitalize on the opportunity to make the organization better.
The job of the next GM will be to fix Minasian's mess, and those same assets the Angels held onto this summer (Anderson, Luis Rengifo, and Taylor Ward) should all be traded this winter. It's time for the Halos to hit the reset button, both in the front office and on the field.