Angels Moving On From Ron Washington, Ray Montgomery in 2026: Reports

The Angels will not retain manager Ron Washington or interim manager Ray Montgomery in 2026, according to multiple reports Tuesday. Sam Blum of The Athletic was first to report the news.

NEWS: Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery will not return as Angels manager in 2026, a source told @TheAthletic.

Still no confirmed information regarding Perry Minasian.

The Angels will have a new manager next year.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) September 30, 2025

According to Blum, the Angels are not only on the hunt for a new manager, but the fate of general manager Perry Minasian has not yet been confirmed.

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The Angels were 36-38 after Washington managed his last game on June 19. The 73-year-old skipper was then placed on medical leave for the remainder of the season as the Angels went 36-52 under Montgomery — the fourth-worst record in Major League Baseball over that span.

The Angels held a team option on Washington's contract for next year. Rather than allow him and Montgomery to work with the same core of young players who largely took a step forward in 2025, owner Arte Moreno will go with a new voice in the dugout — and maybe the front office, as well.

Minasian agreed to a contract extension through 2026 only last year. Washington was his hand-picked manager, a familiar face from Minasian's stops in Atlanta and Texas.

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Regardless of who chooses the Angels' next manager, it will be a revealing indictment of owner Arte Moreno's vision for the franchise.

The next bench boss will be the Angels' fifth in eight seasons since Mike Scioscia managed his final game in 2018. Brad Ausmus, Joe Maddon and Washington all had previous managerial experience. Only Phil Nevin — promoted from bench coach to manager after Maddon was fired in 2022 — did not.

Still, even before Tuesday's news, reports speculating about the Angels' future centered around retired players looking to jump into the managerial ranks for the first time.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post hypothesized Albert Pujols, Torii Hunter, Darin Erstad and Michael Young could be candidates to succeed Washington and Montgomery. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic mentioned Pujols and Hunter, as well.

Rosenthal also noted that former Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Diamondbacks and Orioles manager Buck Showalter has interviewed with the Angels in the past. If Moreno prefers to pair a veteran voice with his young nucleus, Showalter could be the choice.

The general manager is typically given ample input over the choice of a new manager, and perhaps the Angels have already made a decision about Minasian's fate. It would be a surprise — though not without precedent — if Minasian is replaced only one year after signing an extension.

In any event, big changes are coming to Anaheim. The Angels are in the midst of their longest streak of losing seasons as a franchise, 10 and counting. The next manager and bench coach, whoever they are, will have their work cut out for them.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.