The fallout of the Los Angeles Angels’ disappointing 2023 season has started with Phil Nevin being dismissed as manager. The team announced on Monday that it will not pick up his 2024 club option, ending his stint after a year and a half.
Nevin took the helm as manager in June 2022 after the Angels fired Joe Maddon amid a 14-game losing streak. Nevin went 119-149 during his tenure and was unable to lead L.A. to its first playoff berth since 2014.
After making the change at manager, Angels general manager Perry Minasian explained that he has all the respect in the world for Nevin and doesn’t blame him for the team’s shortcomings, via Sarah Valenzuela of the L.A. Times:
“In sports, when you have certain expectations and you don’t meet those expectations, there are changes,” Minasian said. “By no means does that mean Phil is to blame. … It’s all of us.
“The GM-manager position is such an important relationship. This year was not an easy year … it was really really challenging and there’s not many other people I’d rather go through it with than Phil.”
The Angels entered the 2023 season with increased expectations after the pitching staff showed improvement last year. The front office also made several moves during the offseason to improve a roster that was headlined by stars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.
While the Angels hovered around contention for the first few months of the season, injuries ultimately derailed them. Ohtani and Trout were among the Angels’ stars who missed a significant amount of time in the second half, and the team was never able to bounce back.
The Angels finished with a 73-89 record, which was the same mark they had in 2022. The team has not posted a winning record since 2015.
What’s next for Angels?
Now that a decision has been made on Nevin, the Angels will have roughly a month to seek out a replacement before the offseason begins.
That’s when the team will turn its attention to re-signing Ohtani, who is set to become the most coveted free agent in MLB history.