The Washington Nationals' offseason has been constantly changing. With the World Series still yet to get underway, the team has not been able to look get too far into any sort of free agency rumors yet. Not a ton of information has come out from the Nation's Capital and their new President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, regarding what move will be first on the team's long to-do list.
What we do know is that the Nationals do have a need for a new manager, and Toboni did indicate that the search would get underway soon. Whenever the team does begin to interview candidates, one notable name will be off the board. We don't know if the Nationals will look into any sort of college coach like the San Francisco Giants did or any former members of the organization, but we do know that this former big league catcher is now off the market.
That former backstop actually comes in the form of a very familiar face. A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a potential managerial fit for 2019 World Series Champion Kurt Suzuki with the Nationals, as his name had begun to come up in talks for new roles around the league. After receiving interest from multiple clubs including the Giants, Suzuki will now be the next manager for the Los Angeles Angels.
The decision to hire Suzuki was notable for a few reasons, and it will be interesting to see how much of a leash he gets for being the manager by the front office of the Angels. Owner Arte Moreno has been aggressive in recent years to try to get back to the Postseason, and will probably look to do the same again this year if the team is close.
However, Suzuki was only given a 1-year deal, which is not very typical for a first-time manager entering their first-ever big league gig. People around the sport are beginning to speculate the reason why he was given such a short-term deal, and have wondered about other candidates involved in the Angels' interview process.
Albert Pujols, a longtime member of the Angels, was also deep in the interview process, but could not come to terms financially with the team. He is rumored to be heavily involved in the process for the Baltimore Orioles, and perhaps he will be the next man in charge across the Beltway.
The bottom line is, Suzuki is now a familiar face that is off the market as the Nationals continue to look for their next skipper, and the team will have to begin their search without him being a possibility. I hope Suzuki finds success and can earn an extension from the Angels, and we will see what names begin to emerge in the Nationals' process soon.
What do you think of Kurt Suzuki taking the Nationals job? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.