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Angels gave their new manager a very strange contract

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 6:05 PM ET

The Los Angeles Angels hired Kurt Suzuki as their new manager, but one of the terms of Suzuki’s new contract sticks out in an unusual way.

Sam Blum of The Athletic reported Wednesday that Suzuki only agreed to a 1-year contract with the Angels. That sort of deal is virtually unprecedented for a new manager, and means that Suzuki will be an immediate lame duck with no long-term job security.

Blum suggested that owner Arte Moreno may not want to be locked into paying a manager in 2027 if there is some sort of work stoppage. He also suggested that the Angels wanted to line Suzuki’s contract up with general manager Perry Minasian, who is entering the final year of his deal.

Two things that come to mind:

1. Arte doesn’t want to be paying a manager during the lockout, if he doesn’t have to.

2. Perry (1 year left on contract) and Kurt are tied at the hip. If it doesn’t go well this year, we’re probably doing this again next year. https://t.co/AQqzAIGR7H
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) October 22, 2025

Perhaps the Angels have valid reasons for giving their new manager a 1-year deal, but this does not signal a lot of faith in Suzuki. It also might explain why the team failed to land a more high-profile candidate. Albert Pujols was viewed as the favorite for the job before the two parties failed to agree on a contract. If the Angels were not willing to commit to Pujols for multiple seasons, it makes sense that he would withdraw from consideration, especially since he might have interest from other teams.

As for the Angels, all they seem to be doing is opening themselves up to more instability. There are a lot of reasons to criticize the organization, and this could wind up being another one of them.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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