This manager replacement would be a nightmare if Angels do move on from Kurt Suzuki

For what it's worth, the Los Angeles Angels deserve a little credit for their decision to peg Kurt Suzuki as their manager for the 2026 season. A former Halos player and long-respected catcher, he provided the team some fresh blood in the dugout, and he was far removed from the retread hires that defined the franchise in recent years (like Joe Maddon and Ron Washington).

Unfortunately, his new perspective hasn't really infused the team with any additional mojo. The Angels sit at 22-36 nearing the end of May, There have been some nice developments from young players, particularly José Soriano and Walbert Ureña in the rotation, but this is still one of the worst teams in the league.

If the Angels do choose to go the one-and-down route with Suzuki, there are a lot of good replacement candidates out there: Alex Cora is a champion, Rocco Baldelli won a Manager of the Year award, and George Lombard is considered one of the best bench coaches in the league. Heck, the team could even revisit talks with Albert Pujols, who won over the Dominican Republic's laundry list of stars in the World Baseball Classic.

However, the organization can't afford to get this next choice wrong (again). We're nearing 12 consecutive seasons without a playoff berth. For that reason, it'd be best to avoid Brandon Hyde during the coaching cycle.

Brandon Hyde isn't the manager who can deliver what Angels need most

At first glance, Hyde is actually the exact kind of manager the Angels should be looking for. He's had tons of experience at various positions on coaching staffs -- including serving as Maddon's first base coach in Chicago -- and took a young, downtrodden Orioles team from the AL East cellar to a 100-win season in five years.

Like Baldelli, he won a Manager of the Year Award, and he made the playoffs in two straight years (2023-24). He's since joined the Tampa Bay Rays' front office, which is a firm feather in anyone's cap.

However, it's the end of his tenure that serves as a cautionary tale. The Orioles exploded onto the scene in 2023 by winning a division title, but they were swept out of the playoffs by the Rangers. The whole team then declined the following year, and they were once again swept out of the playoffs (this time by the Royals).

A lot of the young players who looked like future superstars in 2023 (Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Kyle Bradish, etc.) declined under Hyde's watch. The Orioles went 15-28 last year before they had enough, and despite having the rest of the season to figure out his future, Hyde couldn't land one of the nine managerial openings in baseball this past offseason.

The Angels aren't the most attrative coaching job in the sport, but a retread who couldn't sustain his success for any notable length of time is the last thing the Halos need right now. Whether it's another rookie skipper or a more experienced manager, there are better options to replace Kurt Suzuki if the team opts to go that route.

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