With the Shohei Ohtani decision looming, the Angels turn to new manager Ron Washington.
November 9 (UPI) After yet another disappointing season, the Los Angeles Angels have turned to veteran manager Ron Washington, appointing him while they await word on whether star player Shohei Ohtani will leave in free agency.
Wednesday night, the Angels made the hiring public. The 71-year-old coached third base for the Atlanta Braves for the previous five seasons.
From 2007 until 2014, he was the Texas Rangers manager. In 2010 and 2011, Washington guided the Rangers to consecutive American League pennants. The Rangers’ first World Series trip ended in a five-game loss to the San Francisco Giants. In their second title series trip, they led the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 but ultimately lost in seven games.
Washington played infield for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and Houston Astros during his ten seasons in Major League Baseball. In 1996, he began working as a first base coach for the Oakland Athletics. He later became a third base and infield coach for the team.
In 2006, Washington was brought in to oversee the Rangers. Over the course of eight years, he guided the team to a 664-611 regular-season record, which included four straight seasons with 90 wins. 2014 saw Washington’s resignation.
In 2015, Washington rejoined the MLB coaching staff as an infield coach for the Athletics. Before joining the Braves to fill the same position, he was also the Athletics’ third base coach. Washington was a member of the Braves’ World Series-winning squad in 2021.
In the midst of the 2021 season, the Angels fired former manager Joe Maddon. For the remainder of that season, interim manager Phil Nevin filled the position, and he did so until 2023. Nevin will not return in 2024, the Angels announced in October.
The Angels finished 73-89 in 2023 and missed the postseason for the ninth time in a row despite having two former MVPs on staff in outfielder Mike Trout and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani is free to sign with any team this offseason, having agreed to a one-year, $30 million contract in 2022 to avoid arbitration. After surgery on his right elbow in September of 2021, the American League MVP for that year is not anticipated to pitch again until 2025.
Due to injuries, Trout missed half of the 2023 season; his contract is good until 2030.
In addition to the Angels, Ohtani is connected to the Dodgers, Giants, Rangers, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox.
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