Whenever a team looks to attract free-agent talent, it’s common for a player to weigh his own long-term future against that of the organization.
To that end, the chips are stacked against the Angels this winter. Not only are they riding the longest postseason drought in Major League Baseball — 11 years and counting — they have a manager and general manager whose contracts expire after the 2026 season.
When Kurt Suzuki was introduced as the team’s new manager on Oct. 21, he signed a one-year contract — a rarity for a major league manager.
“It’s a one-year deal, so he’s tied in with me,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “But for us, in sports, in general, everybody’s on a one-year deal. That’s just the way professional sports is.”
In a league where new managers typically receive a three-year contract, Suzuki’s one-year term garnered the most attention.
Now that the focus has shifted to the Angels’ offseason roster-building plans, Minasian’s one-year term deserves its own spotlight.
In his latest appearance on the Baseball Insiders, speaking from the GM Meetings in Las Vegas, Robert Murray of FanSided said, “I don’t think it’s impossible (the Angels) spend big. I think it’s more likely that they spend in moderation, try to upgrade their roster where they can get to the point of being a playoff team, which is why I don’t think they move guys like Taylor Ward and Jo Adell or anyone quite like that.”