ANAHEIM — The Angels fired General Manager Perry Minasian on Friday and replaced him with former St. Louis Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, who will serve as interim GM while helping to guide the team during the search for a new head of baseball operations.
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Although the Angels (34-48) were in the midst of another losing season, the timing of the decision is a surprise.
Minasian was hired in November 2020, and the Angels have not had a winning season since then.
“Perry has been a valued leader who worked tirelessly over the last six years to strengthen our baseball operations department,” Angels president Molly Jolly said in a statement. “I am grateful for his dedication, insight and many contributions to our organization.”
Minasian did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Jolly and Mozeliak are scheduled to speak to the media on Saturday afternoon.
Mozeliak spent his final 18 years with the Cardinals running their baseball operations department, including the 2011 World Series championship season.
The Angels were 392-500 under Minasian, failing to win more than 77 games in any season. He was originally signed to a four-year deal and he received a two-year extension in August 2024.
Minasian inherited Manager Joe Maddon when he was hired, but he subsequently fired Maddon, then hired Phil Nevin, Ron Washington and Kurt Suzuki. Ray Montgomery also served as interim manager when Washington was on a medical leave.
None of the leadership combinations worked.
Minasian was saddled with one of the worst farm systems in baseball, and the Angels missed chances to upgrade it by failing to trade from their major league roster – most notably, holding on to Shohei Ohtani – despite poor performances at the big league level.
In 2023, Minasian kept Ohtani and dealt away prospects in a series of moves to help the team make a push for a playoff berth. But a few weeks later, the Angels hit a losing streak. Within a month, they were so far out of the race that they placed several players on waivers in order to shed their salaries.
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The decision to hold on to Ohtani was likely made by owner Arte Moreno, who was responsible for many of the choices that hampered the development of the baseball operation under Minasian.
The Angels also cut payroll in recent years, which Moreno acknowledged was because of revenue limitations from the changing television landscape.
In five years, the largest free agent deal signed by Minasian was a three-year, $63 million deal for left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. The second-largest free agent deal was left-hander Tyler Anderson’s three-year, $39 million deal. Right-hander Robert Stephenson signed for three years and $33 million.
Minasian signed right-hander Raisel Iglesias to a four-year, $58 million deal after the 2021 season, but Iglesias had been with the Angels the previous season. The Angels then traded Iglesias in a cost-cutting move in July 2022.
Mozeliak takes over with just a couple of weeks to go before the July 11-12 MLB draft and just over a month until the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
The Angels have the 12th pick in the upcoming draft.
At the trade deadline, the Angels will need to decide to what extent they are going to rebuild. Left-hander Reid Detmers and right-hander José Soriano are both likely to be attractive pieces who could net the Angels multiple top prospects, because both pitchers are under control for at least two more seasons. By doing that, though, the Angels would be acknowledging a rebuilding they have not yet undergone. In the past, the Angels have only made small trades involving players who were going to be free agents within a year.
Mozeliak worked in several roles with the Cardinals before he was elevated to head of baseball operations, starting in the scouting department. The Cardinals’ player development system was one of the best in the sport under Mozeliak. Albert Pujols, who still works for the Angels under a personal services contract, was one of the players who was drafted and developed under Mozeliak.
“John is one of the most accomplished and respected baseball executives with a proven track record of building a winning organization,” Jolly said. “For three decades, he constructed one of baseball’s most respected organizations, combining strong leadership with a commitment to player development and organizational excellence. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Angels and look forward to benefiting from his experience and perspective as we continue to shape the future of our organization.”
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