Ron Washington to Join National League Staff for 2026: Report

Angels manager Ron Washington (37) watches batting practice from a dugout before the game against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium. Washington is stepping indefinitely away from the team due to health reasons on June 21. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Even after missing most of last season to address a serious heart issue, Ron Washington insisted his health would allow him to manage the Angels in 2026.

The team declined to pick up his option for next season anyway, and hired Kurt Suzuki to be their new manager.

More news: Angels Legend to Manage Pro Team in Southern California

Now, Washington is backing up his words with actions. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Washington is finalizing a deal to join the San Francisco Giants as their major league infield coach.

The San Francisco Giants, not the Athletics https://t.co/cVxMVfThao

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 4, 2025

Nightengale's post on Twitter/X corrected an earlier report that Washington was joining the staff of the Athletics.

Once the deal is finalized, Washington will return to the Bay Area for the first time in a decade. He helped form the Oakland A's into a perennial playoff contender in the early 2000s, a tenure made famous in the book Moneyball and the screen adaptation of the same name.

Washington left Oakland to manage the Texas Rangers in 2006. During nine seasons in Arlington, he helped the franchise reach the World Series for the first time. That was the last managerial post he held before he was hired by the Angels in November 2023.

More news: Grayson Rodriguez Health Update: Angels GM Reveals Status of Blockbuster Trade Acquisition

Washington was replaced by Ray Montgomery on an interim basis in June to address a heart issue that ultimately required quadruple bypass surgery. The Angels posted the fourth-west record in Major League Baseball thereafter.

Ron Washington explains the timeline of his health situation. He had bypass surgery. pic.twitter.com/GGkn8GJe8l

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) August 25, 2025

After Washington was not retained, Suzuki became the Angels' fifth manager in eight seasons since Mike Scioscia managed his final game in 2018.

Washington expressed his desire to keep leading the team, going as far as to request a meeting with team owner Arte Moreno.

According to reporting from The Athletic, that meeting never occurred, and it was Washington's performance that influenced the decision rather than his health.

The Angels went 99-137 under his watch. Their 99-loss season in 2024 was the worst in franchise history.

But the Angels were trending in the right direction, going 36-38 to start the 2025 season when Washington took a medical leave of absence. They went 36-52 under Montgomery.

Few would have been surprised if the Angels picked up Washington's contract option for 2026, particularly after he received a clean bill of health.

"If Perry will have me back, I'm certainly willing to come back and finish what we started," Washington said in August.

The Angels were ultimately unwilling. Now, Washington will have all of next year to show them they made a mistake.

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