Home Baseball Does the Angels’ split from manager Phil Nevin portend something for Ohtani’s future?

Does the Angels’ split from manager Phil Nevin portend something for Ohtani’s future?

Baseball — 10/03/2023

The decision made by the Los Angeles Angels to reorganize the dugout may have an impact on whether or not Shohei Ohtani rejoins the team in 2024.

The Angels fired Phil Nevin on Monday after less than two full seasons in the dugout, and they will appoint a new manager ahead of the 2019 season. After an awful finish to the 2023 MLB regular season, Los Angeles missed the playoffs once more. Many people believe, if not outright predict, that the Angels’ inability to secure postseason baseball will result in Ohtani’s departure this winter.

Prior to the 2022 season, Nevin was hired by the Angels as their third base coach. After Joe Maddon was sacked in June of last year, Nevin advanced to manager. Under Nevin’s leadership, Los Angeles only finished 46–60, but the Halos signed him for 2023 in the hopes of making the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Instead, after choosing to be “buyers” at the trade deadline, the Angels only prevailed in 17 of their remaining 55 games. Los Angeles battled severely on the mound, and they ended with a 73-89 win-loss record. Ohtani and outfielder Mike Trout both had injuries towards the end of the season. In 2023, the Angels had at least one game started by fourteen different pitchers; yet, the team was outscored by ninety runs and missed the postseason for the ninth consecutive season.

The Angels decided not to keep Nevin on staff, thus they will be hiring their fourth permanent manager in five years. The move may be a part of a nuanced, comprehensive appeal to keep two-way superstar Ohtani at Angel Stadium, or it may serve as more evidence to Ohtani that the Angels are a worrisome organization that cannot fulfill his career goals.

Trout has already stated that if the Angels’ direction doesn’t satisfy him, he would be amenable to a trade this winter. It’s possible that the slugger won’t tolerate yet another management change, and it’s unclear if Ohtani—who had cleaned up his locker prior to the 2023 regular season’s official conclusion on Sunday—will be persuaded by the prоspect of a brighter future in Anaheim.