3:40pm: The Angels have made it official, saying they’ve signed Minasian by way of 2026. “During the last 4 years, Perry and his baseball operations employees have begun to put the muse for a vibrant way forward for Angels baseball,” says Moreno in a press launch relayed by Fletcher on X. “Now we have been impressed by the steps Perry has taken to infuse our main league group with younger and thrilling expertise whereas additionally revamping our participant growth course of. We consider this extension will permit him to proceed the imaginative and prescient of constructing sustainable success all through the Angels group and ship a championship for our followers.”
Minasian can also be quoted within the press launch: “I’m extremely grateful to Arte and Carole Moreno for his or her continued belief and assist,” he says. “I might additionally wish to thank [Angels president] John Carpino for the super working relationship we have now developed during the last 4 years and I sit up for persevering with our plans of bringing the Angels again to being a constant championship contender.”
2:40pm: The Angels and normal supervisor Perry Minasian have agreed to an extension, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register on X. It’s a multi-year pact, Fletcher provides in a column. The deal will run by way of a minimum of 2026, per Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, giving Minasian two extra years.
Minasian was named the overall supervisor of the Angels in November of 2020, following the firing of Billy Eppler. He had earlier labored as a scout for Toronto and assistant normal supervisor for Atlanta and was capable of safe a four-year pact in his new gig with the Halos. That is the ultimate season of that deal but it surely appears the membership is glad sufficient together with his efficiency to maintain him round.
Which may appear a bit unusual, as issues haven’t been going particularly nicely for the Angels. Regardless of having two superstars on the roster in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in recent times, the membership hasn’t had a successful season since 2015, hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014 and hasn’t gained a playoff recreation since 2009. They’re 54-73 this 12 months, forward of solely the White Sox within the American League standings.
It’s a matter of debate as to how a lot blame Minasian can take for that, because it doesn’t seem as if he’s been given a number of rope to work with in constructing round these guys. Taking a look at MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, the membership hasn’t been an enormous spender since he was introduced aboard. The four-year, $58MM deal they gave to Raisel Iglesias has been the most important deal of his tenure, each when it comes to years and assure. They already had massive contracts on the books for Trout, Anthony Rendon, Albert Pujols and others when he got here aboard, and seemingly didn’t wish to add way more to that. Proprietor Arte Moreno plainly said that he was paring again payroll going into 2024.
The franchise has seemingly had a mandate in opposition to vital investments in beginning pitching, one thing that appears to return from possession because it predates Minasian’s tenure. Since a five-year, $77.5MM deal for C.J. Wilson late in 2011, issues have been stored pretty modest. Joe Blanton bought a two-year, $15MM deal on the finish of 2012 after which it took a decade for the membership to present out one other multi-year deal for a starter. On the finish of 2022, Tyler Anderson bought a three-year, $39MM deal, nonetheless pretty modest when it comes to rotation investments.
Minasian and his entrance workplace have seemingly tried to get round these limitations by drafting gamers they might fasttrack to the majors, which they’ve really had a little bit of success with. Zach Neto was the membership’s first-round choose in 2022 and Nolan Schanuel in 2023. Each gamers had been up within the majors by final 12 months and having good outcomes. Chase Silseth, taken within the Eleventh-round in 2021, was pitching within the majors by 2022. Ben Joyce, taken within the third spherical in 2022, was within the massive leagues final 12 months and will now be the membership’s nearer. Christian Moore, simply taken eighth general final month, is already thriving in Double-A.
That’s to not say that there’s nothing to criticize in Anaheim. Resulting from dashing all their prospects to the majors, the membership’s farm system is mostly thought-about one of many worst within the league. Baseball America just lately put them useless final, FanGraphs and ESPN have them within the backside as nicely, whereas MLB Pipeline has them twenty ninth, forward of solely the Astros. The most important league roster is clearly missing, given their poor outcomes recently. There’s really an argument that they’ve one of many worst long-term outlooks of the 30 golf equipment within the league.
However there may be some controllable expertise on the roster alongside Trout, with guys like Neto, Schanuel, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Logan O’Hoppe and others all slated to stay round by way of 2026 or longer. They may have made a few of these gamers accessible this summer time and kicked off a notable rebuild however didn’t do it. It’s recognized whether or not that was a entrance workplace choice or one thing that got here from possession. The sunshine spending in recent times implies that the long run payroll is beginning to clear up. Regardless of having two large contracts on the books between Trout and Rendon, RosterResource has the membership’s ensures at $109MM subsequent 12 months and $89MM in 2026. By 2027, Rendon, Anderson and Robert Stephenson will all be off the books, leaving Trout because the membership’s solely vital funding.
Moreno has clearly positioned some constraints on Minasian however is evidently happy with the best way he has labored inside them, so he’ll maintain him round for an additional couple of years to see how issues progress.
