There are now five managerial positions open in Major League Baseball. The Minnesota Twins fired Rocco Baldelli, the San Francisco Giants fired Bob Melvin, Bruce Bochy, and the Rangers are parting ways. Brian Snitker announced that he is moving into a senior advisor role with the Atlanta Braves, and neither Ron Washington nor the Angels’ interim manager, Ray Montgomery, is expected to be the manager of the Halos next season.
It’s common in MLB for organizations to either move on or come to a decision on their manager shortly after the regular season ends, but managerial searches can often take a bit longer.
According to multiple reports, Albert Pujols could be returning to Anaheim to become the next manager of the Los Angeles Angels.
Albert Pujols to Interview For Angels Job
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Angels are planning to interview Albert Pujols for the vacant manager position in Los Angeles, and it is believed that Pujols is the leading candidate for owner Arte Moreno.
Pujols has been adamant about wanting to become an MLB manager and has already begun coaching following his retirement. The 700-home run slugger is also going to be the manager of the Dominican Republic for the World Baseball Classic in 2026.
As for the Angels‘ current candidates, it is also expected that Torii Hunter and Michael Young will also interview for the position. Ron Washington left the Angels‘ dugout in early June after undergoing a quadruple bypass procedure in his heart. There are reports that Montgomery (Angels interim manager) has offers to stay within the Angels organization, but it would not be as the 2026 manager.
If Pujols were to be hired as the next Halos skipper, he would not be an unfamiliar face in the organization. Pujols signed a massive 10-year extension with the Angels back in 2012, which was one of the biggest contracts in MLB history at the time.
Would Albert Pujols be the Best Player-Turned-Manager Ever?
There have been a lot of really good former MLB players who have turned to managing following their careers, but none with quite the accolades that Pujols has.
In parts of 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Pujols clubbed 222 home runs, with 783 RBIs and 214 doubles. It would be quite fitting for Pujols to return to the Angels, where he didn’t necessarily live up to that massive $240 million extension. In 12 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before the Angels extension, Pujols had zero seasons with fewer than 30 home runs.
In those 10 years with Los Angeles, he had just three campaigns of hitting 30 or more home runs. The Angels have not made the playoffs since 2014, and have not won a playoff series since 2009. That is a sentence that the Angels fans are tired of seeing, but it’s the reality.
Pujols had many great moments in his career, but possibly none greater than signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being DFA by the Angels, struggling with the Dodgers, and then returning to St. Louis to improbably hit 24 home runs to reach the immortal 700 mark for his career. He was able to ride off into the sunset and is now starting the next chapter of his baseball life.
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