Kurt Suzuki Gets a 1-Year Deal as Angels Manager. Here Is Why That Is Actually Smart
Kurt Suzuki is the new manager of the Los Angeles Angels. He got a one year contract with options, which is the kind of deal that makes headlines for the wrong reasons. Managers usually get three years. Sometimes four. A one year deal sounds like the Angels are not sure about the guy.
They probably are not. And honestly, they should not be.
Suzuki has zero managing experience. Zero coaching experience above special assistant. He played 16 years in the big leagues, made an All Star team, and won a World Series with Washington in 2019. He is well respected around the league. He spent the last three seasons working as a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian. None of that is the same as managing a baseball team.
The one year deal is actually the responsible move. It lines up with Minasian’s contract, which also expires after this season. If the Angels miss the playoffs again and ownership wants a new direction, the next regime gets to pick its own manager without paying off a long term deal. If Suzuki kills it and the Angels win, you extend him. The structure protects everyone.
It also protects Suzuki. He is 42 years old and walking into one of the toughest jobs in baseball. The Angels have not made the playoffs since 2014. They wasted the prime years of Mike Trout. Their farm system is below average. The pitching staff is held together with tape. If this thing goes sideways, Suzuki gets a year of managing experience and walks away. He does not get tagged as a guy who failed for three years.
The Angels apparently wanted Albert Pujols. Talks fell through. That is when they pivoted to Suzuki. So this was not exactly Plan A. But it might be the better fit anyway. Pujols would have walked in with all the leverage of being a franchise legend. Suzuki has no such leverage. He has to earn the room every day. That is sometimes what a clubhouse needs.
The fans are going to hate this hire at first. It feels like another underwhelming move from an organization that specializes in underwhelming moves. Arte Moreno has been the punchline of baseball for over a decade now. The team had Shohei Ohtani for six years and could not put a winning team around him. Now they are betting on a manager who has never managed.
Here is the thing though. Most modern managers are not the Joe Torre type running the show. They are middle managers who execute the front office’s plan, handle the bullpen, and manage egos. Suzuki has the bullpen knowledge from his catching days. He knows hitters around the league. He has the temperament that played in 16 years of MLB clubhouses. The basics are there.
The talent on the roster is the actual problem. Suzuki cannot fix Trout’s body. He cannot give Anthony Rendon his prime back. He cannot will the starting rotation into health. What he can do is set a culture, hold players accountable, and not embarrass the organization.
If he does that, the option gets picked up and we move on. If he does not, the Angels start over again next year, like they always do. Either way, Suzuki took the shot. That counts for something.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
