Albert Pujols has met with the Los Angeles Angels about returning to their dugout as their next manager, a person with knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Angels aren’t publicly discussing their search for a successor to Ron Washington, who wasn’t brought back after two seasons.
Pujols met with general manager Perry Minasian in St. Louis, and the iconic slugger appears to be the current front-runner to take over the Angels in what would be his first in-season major league coaching job of any kind.
Angels owner Arte Moreno has remained fond of Pujols, who played first base and designated hitter for the Angels from 2012 to 2021 after Moreno signed him away from the Cardinals with a $254 million free agent contract.
Pujols retired after the 2022 season. His 22-year playing career included 703 homers and 2,218 RBIs, along with three NL MVP awards and two World Series rings won in St. Louis.
Pujols’ deal with the Angels included a personal services contract after his playing career ended, and the 45-year-old Pujols has been an offseason instructor in the Angels organization over the past three years.
Since his retirement, Pujols has put on an Angels uniform and worked with players at each of their past three spring trainings. He also coached players at the Angels’ academy in his native Dominican Republic.
Pujols has managed in the Dominican Winter League, and he is slated to be the Dominican Republic’s manager at the World Baseball Classic next year.
The Angels are looking for their fifth full-time manager in eight seasons to replace Washington, who was dismissed last month. The 73-year-old manager missed the second half of his second season in charge while recovering from quadruple bypass heart surgery, with interim manager Ray Montgomery filling in.
The Angels have had regular upheaval in their dugout and nothing but losing seasons since Mike Scioscia’s departure after the 2018 season. No manager has lasted three full years since Scioscia’s 19-season tenure ended.
The Athletic first reported the Angels’ meeting with Pujols.
Pujols should fully understand the depth of the challenge he is undertaking: Los Angeles’ streaks of 10 straight losing seasons and 11 straight non-playoff seasons are the longest in the majors, and both began during his playing career.
Pujols actually played on three winning teams during his first four seasons in Anaheim, and he was a key component of the Angels’ last playoff team in 2014 alongside Mike Trout, who would be working under his longtime friend if Pujols is hired.
The Angels traded Pujols to the Dodgers early in the final season of his 10-year contract, and he finished his playing career with one season back in St. Louis in 2022.
Although Minasian has assembled a modestly exciting young core led by shortstop Zach Neto and outfielder Jo Adell, the team has shown few signs of emerging from its decade of profound struggle under Moreno’s stewardship.
The Angels lost Shohei Ohtani in free agency before Washington’s first season in charge, and they subsequently won only 63 games during the worst season in franchise history. The current team improved to 72-90, but still had its second straight last-place finish in the AL West.
Pujols will hope to join the minuscule ranks of superstar players who also managed to become successful coaches or managers.
Baseball stars traditionally have struggled to replicate their playing success in the dugout, with Hall of Famers from Ted Williams and Frank Robinson to Paul Molitor and Alan Trammell all enjoying only modest success as managers.
Pujols will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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