SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Although Perry Minasian was careful not to provide much information on where he stands in the search for the Angels’ next manager, he did give an indication of what he sees as most important.
The Angels general manager said he’s looking for a manager with a “presence,” who can “command a room.”
“There are certain people that have earned different things,” Minasian said at the GM Meetings on Tuesday. “Whether it be through their coaching style, whether it be through their playing style, but when they walk in the room, you know they’re there. When they speak, people listen. That’s something that we’re trying to identify.”
Minasian used the example of Bruce Bochy, who took over in his first year as manager of the Texas Rangers and changed the atmosphere.
“You see him walk through the door and what he did for that club doesn’t go unnoticed,” Minasian said. “So we’re looking for that type of presence. It’s going to be hard to find, because (Bochy) is one of the best. But we’re pretty excited with who we’ve talked to.”
Minasian, however, wouldn’t go any farther than that. He would not even identify the number of candidates they have interviewed, or give a specific timeline for when he hoped to make a decision. It could happen this week, or maybe not.
“You’d like to have everything in place as soon as possible,” Minasian said. “With that being said, we want to make the right decision. It’s such an important decision that I don’t take lightly. There’s a certain relationship you have with a manager. It’s almost like a marriage. It’s you and the manager and you go through some good times and you go through some tough times. Seasons are up and down. And you have to have somebody with you that you can have conversations with, that can be honest with you.”
Longtime manager Buck Showalter, who was fired last month as the New York Mets manager, is the most often discussed candidate. He has a relationship with Minasian from their days with the Texas Rangers.
Former major league managers Ron Washington and Ron Roenicke have also been reported as candidates, as well as Angels coaches Ray Montgomery and Benji Gil and former Angels players Darin Erstad and Torii Hunter. The Angels were reportedly set to interview Washington on Tuesday night.
Minasian said that the type of presence he’s seeking doesn’t necessarily include previous major league managing experience.
“It’s nice to have experience in anything to a certain extent, but that’s not the end all, be all,” Minasian said. “We’re trying to find the right person. And I think we’ve seen managers have success that hadn’t managed before.”
WHAT ABOUT OHTANI?
Unsurprisingly, Minasian declined to give any specifics about the Angels’ dealings with Shohei Ohtani, who officially became a free agent last week. Minasian said repeatedly that he would not talk about any negotiations with any player.
“He’s a great player,” Minasian said. “I know that there’s going to be a lot of attention on it and I understand why. Great player. We’ll see how the offseason develops. We’ve got our plan, and we’re going to try and execute that plan and see where everything goes.”
The American League general managers were available to the media on Tuesday and the others were equally careful about making any statements about Ohtani.
Presumably, the Ohtani situation could hold up the offseason for teams because of the amount of money he’s likely to get. Minasian said he didn’t think a wait for Ohtani would cause a problem for the Angels, though.
“You don’t base an offseason on one single player,” Minasian said. “You have to have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, and so on and so forth. So we’re going to work like we always do. We’re gonna be aggressive. We’re gonna have a lot of conversations and just see where everything goes.”
STAFF CHANGE
After the Angels’ season was derailed by injuries, Minasian said they decided to replace strength and conditioning coaches Matt Tenney and Adam Auer. They are currently looking for their replacements.
Although Minasian said many of the injuries were unavoidable, like utility man Gio Urshela breaking his hip, others might have been preventable.
“We did have a large number of obliques and other things that we feel like there’s a possibility we can address those,” Minasian said. “Maybe warm up a little different, do some things from an activation standpoint before games, do some things after games from a recovery standpoint. Hopefully, we can make some adjustments to see those IL numbers decline.”
NOTES
The Angels still don’t know if they finished above the luxury tax threshold, Minasian said. They placed six players on waivers last August to try to clear enough salary to get under the line, but only five were claimed, leaving them to spend the final month watching every dollar. Minasian said they can still make roster plans without knowing. “I think you have to plan both ways,” he said. …
Minasian said the Angels will welcome back catcher Max Stassi, who is preparing to return to action in 2024 after missing the 2023 season while dealing with his son’s medical challenges. The baby was born three months prematurely in April. “When you have a veteran catcher that can control a pitching staff like he can, that’s huge,” Minasian said. “We were very young there last year.” Rookie Logan O’Hoppe began the season as the starting catcher before he missed four months with an injury. Matt Thaiss and Chad Wallach then handled the duties while O’Hoppe was out. …
Minasian confirmed that pitching coach Matt Wise, hitting coach Marcus Thames and catching coach Drew Butera have all left the organization. Coincidentally, each went to the Chicago White Sox. Minasian said the other coaches have been told that decisions on their roles are “on hold” until they have a manager. …
The Angels brought Dom Chiti back to the organization as one of the minor league pitching coordinators because Minasian said the Angels “needed to change” their minor league pitching program. Minasian said Chiti “has a history of developing young pitching,” including his time with the Atlanta Braves. Minasian said any decisions on the major league pitching program would be made after they have a manager and a new pitching coach.
