RADIO
Kurt Suzuki Won't Return as Angels' Manager in 2027
The Los Angeles Angels have announced that they have declined the option in Kurt Suzuki's contract and will search for a new manager and coaching staff for next season. "Kurt has earned tremendous respect in our clubhouse, and I've seen firsthand how much he cares about our players. I do not believe our record this year was a true reflection of his abilities as a manager," Angels baseball operations consultant John Mozeliak said. Mozeliak said Suzuki has been offered to stay on the Angels staff as a special assistant. The Angels finished this season 62-100 and in last place in the American League West division, 19 games back of the division winners, the Houston Astros.
Source: Los Angeles Angels
Source: Los Angeles Angels
Angels Being Sold to Rams Owner Stan Kroenke
The Los Angeles Angels are being sold to Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, pending MLB approval. Kroenke is collecting professional sports franchises at this point, as he also owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Mammoth, and Arsenal Football Club. It puts an end to a tumultuous ownership tenure for long-time Angels owner Arte Moreno, the first Latino majority owner in MLB, who purchased the Angels from the Walt Disney Company in 2003 on the heels of their first and only World Series championship. Moreno immediately brought in Vladimir Guerrero and Bartolo Colon. The franchise won the American League West five times in a six-year span from 2004 to 2009, but the Angels have made the playoffs once since 2010, spoiling the prime years of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Moreno was often criticized for being too heavy-handed in baseball operations. Things began to change when the Angels brought in long-time St. Louis Cardinals head of baseball operations John Mozeliak to trade controllable players and reshape the front office and coaching staff.
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Angels Fire Pro Scout for Filming Rockies Coaches
The Los Angeles Angels fired a pro scout who calls himself "The Baseball Spy" after filming Colorado Rockies coaches on his cell phone while working in the stands, according to Brittany Ghiroli and Sam Blum of The Athletic. The Angels had just hired Justin "Boomer" Prinstein last December. Scouts filming is generally considered a legal practice, but using technology to steal or decode signs is not allowed. The Rockies reported the incident to MLB, which alerted the Angels front office. Then-Angels general manager Perry Minasian fired Prinstein right away, according to multiple sources. It's believed that Prinstein acted on his own initiative and that the Angels won't face any punishment from MLB. Before his time with the Angels, Prinstein last worked for an MLB club in 2023 as an international scout with the Cincinnati Reds. At the time of his filming of the Rockies, Colorado was calling pitches from the dugout. "They can try," Rockies pitching coach Alon Leichman told The Athletic when asked in spring about teams attempting to steal signs. "It'd be absolutely hilarious if they tried."
Source: The Athletic - Brittany Ghiroli and Sam Blum
Source: The Athletic - Brittany Ghiroli and Sam Blum
Jorge Soler Reinstated and Starting on Monday Night
The Los Angeles Angels announced on Monday that they reinstated outfielder Jorge Soler (oblique) from the 10-day injured list and designated infielder Nick Madrigal for assignment in a corresponding move. Infielder Trey Mancini was also outrighted to Triple-A Reno, but he elected free agency. Soler is serving as the designated hitter and will bat third for the Halos in his return on Monday in the series opener against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Kyle Bradish. Soler has been out since June 6 with a strained left oblique, and he didn't go on a minor-league rehab assignment, so fantasy managers may want to expect the right-handed slugger to be knocking off quite a bit of rust. The 34-year-old Cuban outfielder already swings and misses often, but with nine home runs in 214 at-bats before his injury, he can also still provide useful power for managers searching for pop on the waiver wire. With that said, RBI opportunities might be few and far between for Soler on one of the worst teams in baseball. He's rostered in only 15% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Angels PR
Source: Angels PR
Jorge Soler Back as the DH Against Dodgers on Friday
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler (hip) is serving as the team's designated hitter and is batting cleanup for the Angels in Friday's series opener in the Freeway Series against the hosting Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander Roki Sasaki, according to MLB.com. Soler was pulled early from Wednesday's game against the Colorado Rockies as a precaution with a left-hip injury, but he's back in there as the DH after the team had a scheduled day off on Thursday. The 34-year-old Cuban veteran slugger is batting just .220 (47-for-214) on the season with nine home runs, 33 RBI, and 28 runs scored in 58 games across 243 plate appearances. Soler remains an asset for power and run production in deeper leagues, but he will continue to be a drag on your on-base percentage and batting average. In 14 games since May 19, Soler is hitting .236 (13-for-55) with a homer, double, triple, five RBI, and seven runs scored across his 58 plate appearances. He has gone hitless in just three career at-bats against Sasaki.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Jorge Soler Playing Through Groin Injury
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler (groin) recently said that he can run at 60-70% right now due to a nagging groin injury, but manager Kurt Suzuki shrugged at the suggestion that the right-handed slugger needs time off, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. "He just had a day off," Suzuki said. "We had a team day off (on Monday). He's swinging the bat fine. He's looking good. And he's in the lineup." Soler said the soreness started "a few days ago," but Suzuki said it's just something normal that players go through over the course of a long season. The 34-year-old, who is hitting .215/.298/.403 with a .701 OPS in 191 at-bats in 2026, was last out of the lineup on May 21. Despite not being 100%, he has exactly one hit in each of his last seven games he's started, but that has included just one extra-base hit. It doesn't appear that the Cuban outfielder is in danger of landing on the injured list, but fantasy managers can't really do much with Soler unless he's hitting for power. He has nine home runs, 30 RBI, and 25 runs scored on the year for the last-place Halos.
Source: The Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
Source: The Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
