Report: Braves' Ron Washington Hired as Angels Manager over Buck Showalter

The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to terms with Ron Washington to be their next manager, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Washington beat out Buck Showalter, who reportedly was a finalist for the job.

Washington replaces Phil Nevin, who was fired after one-and-a-half seasons aboard. Nevin took over for Joe Maddon 56 games into the 2022 campaign. He guided the Angels to a 46-60 finish that year before the team went 73-89 in 2023.

One could argue that no team in baseball has endured a more disappointing stretch than the Angels over the past decade-plus.

Mike Trout has long been considered one of the best players, if not the best player, in the game since reaching the bigs in 2011. Yet the Halos have just one playoff appearance (and zero postseason wins) to show for it. L.A. has also posted eight straight losing seasons.

The Angels have also benefitted from the generational two-way talent of Shohei Ohtani, who will likely win his second American League MVP award of the last three seasons.

Ohtani is now scheduled to enter free agency, and given his stated desire to win and compete for the playoffs, an exit is all but assured after six seasons in L.A.

A host of reasons have led to this disappointment, namely subpar pitching and lineup depth alongside free-agent acquisitions not living up to expectations.

Inconsistent leadership probably hasn't helped matters either. With Washington coming aboard, the Angels will have had five skippers since 2018, which marked longtime manager Mike Scioscia's last season. Brad Ausmus managed for one year before making way for Maddon in 2020.

The Angels certainly hope that Washington can bring some stability and success to the dugout. L.A. hasn't won a playoff game since 2009, and a 2014 ALDS sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals marks the Angels' only postseason appearance since then. Simply put, a lot of work needs to be done, so Washington has a tall order ahead of him.

But the 71-year-old could certainly get it done. Washington has enjoyed a long and prosperous career in the game, most notably as the Texas Rangers manager from 2007 to 2014. He led Texas to two American League pennants (2010, 2011) and was one out away from guiding the Rangers to the 2011 championship.

Washington resigned near the end of a tough 2014 season, when he went 53-87.

Since then, Washington has been a coach for the Oakland Athletics (2015, 2016) and the Atlanta Braves (2017-2023), winning the World Series with the latter team in 2021.

Washington, who was a candidate for the Braves' managerial job before it went to Brian Snitker, served as Atlanta's third base coach during his tenure.

Now he's back as a manager for the second time around in hopes of resurrecting a franchise hasn't seen much prosperity since its 2009 ALCS appearance.