Former slugger Albert Pujols reportedly top candidate to be new Angels manager

There are currently 12 teams battling in the Major League Baseball playoffs

The rest of the league is looking to next season and for some it starts with a change at manager

The Los Angeles Angels are reportedly thinking about promoting a familiar face to run the show in Anaheim

The Athletic is reporting that future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols is the top choice of team owner Arty Moreno

and will interview for the job. Pujols spent 10 of his 22 Major League seasons with the Angels

and is currently with the team in an advisory role. He retired in 2022 and ranks fourth all-time with 703 home runs

Asked by reporters during spring training if he'd like to be a manager, Pujol said, I think if the opportunity is right one day, I think I'll be ready for that

The Angels dismissed Ron Washington, who missed most of the season after heart surgery

There are five managerial openings in MLB at the moment. The Atlanta Braves announced Wednesday that longtime manager Brian Snitker will leave the dugout and move into the front office as an advisor

Snitker guided the Braves to 911 wins, six NL East division titles, and seven postseason appearances over the last 10 years, including a World Series win in 2021

I excited I excited for this new chapter in my life because I think at some point in time everybody has to have that So I blessed that I can do it here in a place where I was born and raised

The 69-year-old Snitker has been with the Braves in some capacity since 1977

but the team started slowly in 2025 and finished with just 76 wins

Bruce Bochy helped the Texas Rangers end one of the longest droughts in Major League history

in 2023 when the team won its first championship. The Rangers and Bochy, however, mutually agreed to part ways on Monday

The 70-year-old is sixth all-time on MLB's wins list with 2,252 and has four championships

Three of those came with the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey

who played for Bochy, said Wednesday that Bochy's not a candidate to replace Bob Melvin, who was fired after two seasons

The Giants missed the playoffs with an 81-81 record. Posey wants someone who can provide stability for years to come

The Minnesota Twins are also looking for a manager after firing Rocco Baldelli on Monday

The Twins won the AL Central three times during his seven seasons

but went just 70-92 this year after trading 10 players off the big league roster at the trade deadline

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis