General Manager Perry Minasian has agreed to a two-year contract extension until 2026 Los Angeles Angels.
Minasian agreed to the deal Thursday with the Angels, who are almost certain to finish their fourth consecutive losing season during his tenure. Minasian joined the Angels as their first-time general manager on a four-year contract ahead of the 2021 season.
“Over the past four years, Perry and his baseball staff have begun to lay the foundation for a bright future for Angels baseball,” owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. “We are impressed with the steps Perry has taken to fill our major league team with young and exciting talent while revamping our player development process. We believe this contract extension will allow him to continue the vision of building sustained success throughout the Angels organization and delivering a championship to our fans.”
The Angels are keeping Minasian to keep an eye on continuity for a franchise with eight consecutive losing seasons and nine consecutive non-playoff seasons, both the longest active droughts in the major leagues. The current Angels (54-73) are on pace to match the team’s lowest winning percentage since 1994.
Minasian is a former batboy and clubhouse attendant for the Texas Rangers who gradually rose through the Boy Scouts department into Toronto and the front office in Atlanta, where he worked under Alex Anthopoulos at both stops. Minasian, 44, had never interviewed for a GM position before landing the top job with the Angels, who fired Billy Eppler in late 2020 after his fifth consecutive losing season.
“I am incredibly grateful to Arte and Carole Moreno for their continued trust and support,” Minasian said in a statement.
Minasian was the fourth consecutive general manager hired by Moreno since 2007 and had no experience in a top position other than Jerry Dipoto’s two-and-a-half-month stint as interim general manager.
The Angels have not won more than 77 games in any season since Minasian’s arrival, and their long-struggling farm system is still considered one of the worst in the major leagues. But Minasian has drafted or signed several young players who are now making significant contributions in the major leagues, including shortstop Zach NetoCatcher Logan O’HoppeRelief BenJoyceOutfielder Mickey Moniak and first baseman Nolan Schanuel.
Minasian came a year after Moreno signed the third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven-year contract worth $245 million. The Angels were barely able to replace the injury-plagued hitters Rendon and Michael Trout on the field at the same time for four years in a row, hampering any attempt to win consistently.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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