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Angels fire manager Kurt Suzuki after losing 100 games in his only season
Former Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki looks on in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 06, 2026 in Anaheim, California. The Angels fired Suzuki today, after just one season.
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Joe Scarnici
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
The Los Angeles Angels have fired manager Kurt Suzuki after he lost 100 games in his only season in charge of the long-struggling club.
OFFICIAL: The Angels announced that the Club has declined the option in Kurt Suzuki’s contract and, in coordination with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, will search for a new manager and coaching staff for the 2027 season. pic.twitter.com/RExo0C19az
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) October 21, 2026
Why now: Baseball operations consultant John Mozeliak announced Wednesday that the Angels declined the option on Suzuki’s contract. Suzuki has been offered the opportunity to stay with the organization as a special assistant. Mozeliak indicated he made the decision in coordination with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which reached a deal to purchase controlling ownership from Arte Moreno on Sept. 1. The sale is not expected to close until next year, but the sports conglomerate run by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke is already making significant changes to its beleaguered baseball team.
Why it matters: The Angels went 62-100 — the first 100-loss season in franchise history — and finished last in the AL West in their only season under Suzuki, who ended his 16-year major league playing career as a catcher for the Angels in 2021-22. Suzuki’s replacement will be the seventh manager, including interims, to lead the team in nine seasons since it parted with Mike Scioscia after the 2018 season. The Angels have had 11 consecutive losing seasons and 12 straight non-playoff seasons, both the longest active skids in the major leagues.
The backstory: Suzuki, who was hired at the start of the 2026 season, had never been a manager at any level before he was given the job by then-general manager Perry Minasian, who had employed Suzuki as his special assistant for the previous three seasons. Minasian was fired by Moreno last June, and longtime St. Louis Cardinals GM Mozeliak stepped in on a temporary basis to run the front office while leading the search for a permanent GM to replace him. That transition plan has been thrown into flux by Moreno’s decision to sell, and Mozeliak didn’t indicate whether he has a long-term future in his own job, although he said he had been looking “toward 2027 and beyond” while reaching the decision to fire Suzuki.
What's next: The Angels said that the team and its new ownership group would start the search for a new manager in 2027.
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