Albert Pujols in talks with Angels about taking over as team's new manager, per report

The Los Angeles Angels are in discussions with former first baseman Albert Pujols on a deal that would have him become the team's new manager, according to The Athletic. No deal is imminent, but those talks follow a meeting Pujols had on Thursday with general manager Perry Minasian.

Right after the regular season concluded, the Angels announced that neither manager Ron Washington nor interim skipper Ray Montgomery would return to their dugout in 2026. Montgomery, of course, filled in for Washington when the latter was on medical leave.

Pujols was subsequently named as owner Arte Moreno's preferred candidate to take over. It's worth noting that Pujols remains employed by the Angels. The contract he signed with the club as a player included a 10-year personal-services pact upon his retirement. Pujols has essentially served as an ambassador for the organization since walking away after the 2022 season. (MLB has since banned personal service contracts, and it's unclear how it would factor in here.)

Pujols, 45, remains slated to manage the Dominican Republic in next spring's World Baseball Classic. Last winter, he won the Dominican Winter League championship as the manager of Leones del Esogido.

Pujols was one of the best players in recent baseball memory. Across parts of 22 years, he hit.296/.374/.544 with 703 home runs and 117 stolen bases. His contributions were worth 101.2 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's estimations. Pujols was an 11-time All-Star honoree, a three-time Most Valuable Player Award winner, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and a two-time World Series title winner.

The Angels have had little success or stability at manager since Mike Sciscoia vacated the post in winter 2018. Pujols would be their fifth full-time skipper in the last eight years, alongside Washington, Phil Nevin, Joe Maddon, and Brad Ausmus.