October 03, 2023 - BY Admin

Los Angeles Angels split with manager Phil Nevin after 2 seasons

The Los Angeles Angels are splitting with manager Phil Nevin.


The Angels opted not to pick up the option on Nevin’s contract for next year, the team announced Monday. Nevin had been leading the club for less than two seasons, and finished with a 119-149 career record. The club missed the playoffs under his watch this past season, and finished fourth in the AL West.


The Angels will now search for a new manager for next season. Whoever the club lands on will be their fifth in the past seven seasons. General manager Perry Minasian is reportedly set to return for a fourth season.


Nevin was first hired by the Angels before the 2022 campaign as a third base coach, but he was promoted to interim manager after the Angels fired Joe Maddon early last season. Maddon was fired in the middle of his third season amid a 14-game losing skid.


Nevin went 46-60 the rest of the way last season and got the club to a third-place finish in the AL West. Nevin was then offered a one-year deal to return as the Angels’ manager this year for a full season.


Despite receiving that chance, and having both stars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout on his roster, Nevin couldn’t make it work. The Angels went just 73-89 this season and missed the playoffs for a ninth straight campaign. The team essentially called it quits in late August, too, and waived five players — including starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and outfielder Hunter Renfroe — after they fell out of the wild-card race.


Ohtani, despite his latest UCL injury, is set to be a free agent this coming offseason. Trout was also shut down early after his wrist injury. The team is reportedly open to trading him, too.


The Angels are now one of three teams in Major League Baseball with a managerial job open, following Gabe Kapler's departure in San Francisco and the Mets moving on from Buck Showalter, though more are expected to open up in the coming days. Whoever replaces Nevin will be tasked with rebuilding the franchise — either with or without Ohtani and Trout — and getting them back into contention. Based on how things have gone in Anaheim the last several seasons, that’s not going to be easy.