Alden GonzalezOct 10, 2025, 08:14 PM ETCloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on X
Source: Pujols, Angels discuss managerial opening (1:02)Source: Pujols, Angels discuss managerial opening (1:02)
A formal offer has not been made, sources cautioned, though Pujols has been considered a top candidate since the Angels declined the 2026 option on manager Ron Washington’s contract last week.
Pujols, 45, has expressed strong interest in managing at the big league level for years and led a Dominican winter ball team, the Leones del Escogido, to a championship in January. Pujols was previously named manager for his native Dominican Republic in next year’s World Baseball Classic, though he would likely rescind that role if he lands a big league job this offseason.
Pujols signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Angels in December 2011 that included a 10-year, $10 million personal-services contract that kicked in after he retired. What becomes of that deal would likely be part of any financial negotiations that would inevitably take place with the Angels.
Pujols has been a special guest instructor at Angels spring training each of the past three years and is considered a prime candidate by both Minasian, who held him in high regard even after releasing him in May 2021, and Angels owner Arte Moreno.
Source: Pujols, Angels discuss managerial opening (1:02)Source: Pujols, Angels discuss managerial opening (1:02)
Source: Pujols, Angels discuss managerial opening (1:02)
CloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on X