ANAHEIM — John Mozeliak stopped short of saying that Kurt Suzuki will be back as the Angels’ manager next season, although he made it clear that his preference is that the first-year manager gets a second shot.
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“I would like to see him be that,” the Angels’ interim GM said of Suzuki returning as Angels manager, “but ultimately that’s not my decision.”
The decision will be up to new owner Stan Kroenke and his company, Mozeliak said at his end-of-season press conference on Monday. While Kroenke Sports & Entertainment isn’t expected to take full control of the Angels until early next year, Mozeliak said he has been in contact with KSE’s Kevin Demoff, who oversees operation of all of KSE’s franchises.
Mozeliak said he had another meeting with Demoff scheduled for later on Monday.
Mozeliak said the status of the GM position will also be determined by KSE. Mozeliak’s contract runs through December. He suggested he’s “open-minded” to staying beyond this year, even as a “bridge” because of the ownership change and likely work-stoppage this winter.
As for Suzuki, many will be surprised at Mozeliak’s endorsement, considering that the Angels just finished a 62-100 season, the first 100-loss season in franchise history.
Even before taking a question, Mozeliak read a statement that included a detailed description of why he supports Suzuki.
“In my opinion, he’s done a great job,” Mozeliak said, “and I know many people may doubt that with a 100-loss season.”
Mozeliak said Suzuki “held the clubhouse together,” which is not easy during a losing season.
As for Suzuki’s game management, Mozeliak seemed willing to give him a pass because of the roster he had to work with.
“I don’t feel like he was making poor decisions,” Mozeliak said, referring specifically to Suzuki’s bullpen management. “He didn’t have people available on given nights and he understood the hand he was dealt.”
Mozeliak also said he expects him to learn from his first year and improve.
“The thing that impressed me the most is his willingness to learn,” Mozeliak said. “The individuals who were around him throughout the season probably did see a change in how we went about his day-to-day. And I think his confidence grew and what was expected of him, and most importantly, his mindset to grow is there.”
Mozeliak said there could be changes on the coaching staff.
“Stability” was a word that Mozeliak used repeatedly as he described his plans for the franchise. While he’s made it clear from his first day on the job in late June that he knew the Angels needed “change,” as the weeks and months have passed, he’s also made it clear that change can come with many of the same people.
“I think what I learned early on was there are a lot of quality people here,” Mozeliak said. “I just don’t think they were being used or leveraged properly.”
Of course, whoever holds management or coaching positions is not nearly as significant as which players are on the field. The Angels failed in 2026 largely because of a roster that simply did not have enough talent.
Mozeliak was not specific on how he would upgrade the roster, again citing the need to have more conversations with KSE, but he did offer a few clues.
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The two biggest problems were the offense and bullpen. Mozeliak acknowledged that help for the offense “is going to have to come from the outside.”
The outfield seemingly has the most room for improvement, and Mozeliak suggested one change could be moving Mike Trout to left field and having him DH more often. Trout played 109 games in center field this season. Moving Trout, 35, to left could help his offense and upgrade the defense.
“It was something he came to me with that he thought might be best for his future,” Mozeliak said. “Obviously he’s played the most games this year since 2016. That’s 10 years ago. That’s a long time. I think he understood the demands of what was happening playing every day on his body. He recognizes where he is at his age and now he’s trying to think about how to finish his career strong, and he knows getting himself out of center field, maybe being less on his feet in the outfield, he will benefit from, from an offensive standpoint. And ultimately, I think that’s a win for both sides.”
Beyond that, Mozeliak said they’d like to work with first baseman Nolan Schanuel to make him more durable, and with Moisés Ballesteros to have him be able to catch more often.
Regarding the bullpen, Mozeliak said the Angels “do have some horsepower down there, but the horsepower isn’t necessarily effective.” He suggested they could also add depth from outside the organization “to give Suzuki more flexibility in that decision-making.”
(It’s worth noting that Mozeliak referred to Suzuki being the one to make those decisions.)
In terms of how the Angels would make those upgrades, Mozeliak said trading away prospects is not on the table.
“The one thing I don’t want to see happen, given what we’ve already been able to create here, is start depleting the resources we were building up in the minor league system,” Mozeliak said.
The free agent market is thin this winter. It’s still unclear – even to Mozeliak – how much money he would have for a 2027 payroll.
“In terms of dollars and what that payroll may look like,” Mozeliak said, “that has not been discussed.”
The larger question, hovering above all of these decisions, is how much autonomy Mozeliak, or his successor, will have to make them. Previous general managers who worked under owner Arte Moreno were often hamstrung in their ability to make the best baseball decisions.
As of now, Mozeliak is expecting to be able to make the decisions that he sees fit.
“I would assume that,” Mozeliak said. “Have we explicitly had that conversation? No. But just looking at the other franchises they oversee, it appears that’s how they’re being run.”
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