Kurt Suzuki will not return as manager of the Los Angeles Angels, the team announced Wednesday. Suzuki had a club option for 2027 in his contract. He has been offered a special assistant position to remain in the organization. The 2026 season was Suzuki's only season as manager. He guided the Halos to a franchise record 100 losses, not that they were expected to contend.
"Kurt has earned tremendous respect in our clubhouse, and I've seen firsthand how much he cares about our players," interim GM John Mozeliak said in a statement. "I do not believe our record this year was a true reflection of his abilities as a manager. I'm pleased we were able to offer Kurt a role to stay on as a special assistant, where his knowledge of our players and his perspective would continue to be valuable to the organization."
Suzuki, 43, was a special assistant to former Angels GM Perry Minasian from 2023-25 before taking over the managerial role this season. He had no prior coaching or managerial experience and the Angels gave him just a one-year contract, which is very unusual for a manager. Minasian was fired in June and replaced on an interim basis by Mozeliak.
"We haven't really dove deep into it," Suzuki told The Athletic in September when asked about his future and his conversations with Mozeliak. "We've had really good conversations about philosophies and stuff like that. We haven't really talked about next steps ... Would I like to be here? Of course I would."
Longtime Angels owner Arte Moreno agreed to sell the franchise to Stan Kroenke for $4 billion in September. Mozeliak has expressed an interest in taking over the team's baseball operations on a permanent basis, though he remains the interim right now. It is likely that position will be filled before the Angels look for a new manager.
Whoever replaces Suzuki will be the team's fifth full-time manager in six years, joining Joe Maddon (2020-22), Phil Nevin (2022-23), Ron Washington (2024-25), and Suzuki (2026). Bench coach Ray Montgomery managed the final 88 games of the 2025 season while Washington was away from the team with a medical issue.
The Angels lost 100 games for the first time in franchise history in 2026. They have not been to the postseason since 2014 or won a postseason game since 2009. Both are the longest droughts in baseball.
Baseball's three managerial vacancies belong to AL West teams: Angels, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners.
