The Los Angeles Angels fired manager Kurt Suzuki on Wednesday after the team finished 62-100, the first 100-loss season in franchise history. John Mozeliak, the club’s baseball operations consultant, announced the move and said the Angels declined Suzuki’s contract option after just one season on the job.
The decision ends a short, unusual tenure for Suzuki, who had never managed at any level before the Angels hired him. It also leaves Los Angeles searching for its seventh manager, including interims, since parting with Mike Scioscia after the 2018 season.
The Main Development
Mozeliak, who is overseeing baseball operations for the Angels, confirmed the Suzuki dismissal and offered him a chance to remain with the organization as a special assistant. Mozeliak praised Suzuki’s standing with players even as he explained the decision to move on.
“Kurt has earned tremendous respect in our clubhouse, and I’ve seen firsthand how much he cares about our players,” Mozeliak said. He added, “I do not believe our record this year was a true reflection of his abilities as a manager.” according to The Associated Press.
Suzuki, 43, had been hired by then-general manager Perry Minasian, for whom he had worked as a special assistant for three seasons before taking the managerial job. He signed a one-year contract last October, an unusual arrangement for a manager. Before taking the job, Suzuki closed out his 16-year playing career as a catcher with the Angels in 2021 and 2022, drawing praise for his handling of the pitching staff in those final two seasons.
What It Means
The Angels finished last in the AL West and set a franchise record for losses, topping their previous high of 99 defeats in 2024. The team’s record was 10 games worse than it was in 2025 under Ron Washington and bench coach Ray Montgomery, who had taken over the final 88 games that year while Washington dealt with a medical issue.
Suzuki’s entire coaching staff is not expected to return in its current form, though some members have been offered other staff positions. Mozeliak had already removed pitching coach Mike Maddux and two other staffers in August, a move tied to concerns that the team was not making full use of available technology and analytics for its pitchers.
Whoever takes over will be the fifth full-time Angels manager in six seasons, following Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin, Washington and Suzuki. The Angels have gone 11 consecutive seasons with a losing record, the longest active streak in the majors. The club has not reached the postseason since 2014 and has not won a playoff game since 2009.
Context
Mozeliak made the call in coordination with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which agreed in September to buy controlling ownership of the Angels from Arte Moreno for $4 billion. That sale is not expected to close until the first quarter of 2027, meaning Moreno’s front office is handling the managerial search even as new ownership waits in the wings.
The opening also adds to an unsettled landscape in the AL West, where the Angels now join the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros in searching for a manager, giving the division three of MLB’s current vacancies.
Suzuki had expressed hope about his future in September. “Would I like to be here? Of course I would,” he said, according to CBS Sports.
What’s Next
The Angels have not named a timeline for hiring Suzuki’s successor. The search comes as the organization also faces questions about its permanent front-office leadership and prepares for the ownership transition to Kroenke, expected to close in 2027.
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