Angels Rumors: Halos Infield Coach Listed Among Top MLB Managerial Candidates This Offseason
As we head into the offseason, the Angels will for sure be in search of a new manager after letting Phil Nevin go. But the team could also be looking for other replacements for members of the coaching staff as well.
Halos infield coach Benji Gil seems to be turning some heads, and he is expected to receive some interest this offseason from clubs with managerial openings. The MLB Staff at The Athletic put together a list of top candidates for managerial jobs, and Gil made the cut.
“Gil firmly established himself as an intriguing managerial candidate this spring when he guided Team Mexico to the World Baseball Classic semifinals, and very nearly pulled off a massive upset to reach the finals. Gil won four championships as a manager in the Mexican League. That’s not a typical proving ground for MLB managers, but maybe that’s a good thing. Gil has some pedigree as a former player, as well, playing a small but critical role in the Angels’ lone World Series title in 2002. Gil clearly has managerial chops, but do they translate at the major league level?”
Gil makes sense for the Angels opening, but it remains to be seen if the team would go that route. They likely want to get a home run hire, even if it makes more sense to hire someone like Gil.
He knows the organization and would relish the chance to lead the Halos forward. It would also be a nice story for them to hire in-house rather than going on a long search.
But hiring Gil could signal that the team is entering into a rebuild, and that isn’t something that owner Arte Moreno has any interest in doing.
The Angels have a ton of questions to answer this offseason, starting with who their manager will be. All they can do is hope for the best here, but they need to get this hire right, otherwise, they could find themselves in the same situation again shortly.
