Angels to hire 2026 manager as Albert Pujols emerges front-runner

The Los Angeles Angels will open the 2026 season with a new manager after the club informed Ron Washington it would not pick up his option for next year and said interim manager Ray Montgomery will not return, the team announced this month. The search shifted into high gear after Washington, who took a medical leave in June and underwent quadruple bypass surgery, missed much of the season and the Angels finished last in the American League West. Former Angels slugger Albert Pujols has emerged as the leading candidate following a meeting this week with general manager Perry Minasian, and former outfielder Torii Hunter is also being considered.

League sources said Pujols met with Minasian Thursday in St. Louis and that the discussion went well. Preliminary talks on a potential deal are underway, but no agreement has been reached and no announcement is expected immediately. Pujols, a three-time National League MVP and 11-time All-Star who spent 10 seasons in Anaheim, has worked with the organization since retiring, including time at the club’s academy in the Dominican Republic and a role as a special assistant. He also managed Leones del Escogido to a Dominican Winter League...