According to Jon Heyman, the Los Angeles Angels have hired Ron Washington to be their next manager.
Like most Braves fans, my initial thought was — “Damn, that sucks.”
In the same breath, I have been rooting for Ron Washington to get a managerial position for years. He’s been a fantastic presence for the Braves during this recent run of success and was a really good manager for the Rangers from 2007-20014. Nobody has more experience around the game than him. He’s more than deserving of this promotion, and it’s probably long overdue. Considering he is 71-years-old, Washington wasn’t going to have many more opportunities, so I’m thrilled for him.
However, he is not headed for greener pastures. While the Braves are a well-oiled machine set up to win championships for years to come, the Angels are the exact opposite. They feature arguably the worst farm system in baseball after foolishly trying to go all-in last year at the trade deadline, and Shohei Ohtani is likely going to walk for nothing. The Angels now must heavily consider trading Mike Trout, which would signal a complete rebuild. I don’t see any way around it, but the Angels have fooled me before.
Regardless, Ron Washington knows exactly what he’s getting into, and I’m sure he’s excited for the challenge.
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