According to The Athletic, the Los Angeles Angels are seriously considering the idea of hiring former player Albert Pujols as the next head coach.
Angels owner Arte Moreno is said to be a fan in putting Pujols in charge of the team. In fact, the former slugger could end up being in a position to decide whether he will accept the offer.
Pujols spent 10 of his 22 years in the league with the Angels, ultimately ending up in the Hall of Fame. Ironically, the former slugger is currently tied to the team as a special assistant. He is currently in a 10-year personal services contract.
Thrice the MLB MVP and an 11-time All-Star, the 45-year-old finished his time as a player with the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers before hanging up his glove in 2022. He has since been managing the Dominican Winter League. He is also expected to serve as the captain of the Dominican Republic in next year's World Baseball Classic.
All of this comes after the Angels confirmed on Tuesday that they opted out of the option to keep Ron Washington for 2026. With that said, the club also stated that the hiring process for a new coach has "immediately" started.
For the second year running, the LA Angels finished bottom of the AL West, this time with a 72-90 record. The Seattle Mariners, who topped the division, were 18 games ahead of The Halos at the conclusion of the regular season.
The Athletic also mentioned that the current status of the general manager Perry Minisian is uncertain, seeing that the team failed to reach the posteason for the 11th year running. He has been the GM since 2020.