Will Albert Pujols Manage the Angels? The St. Louis Connection That Changes Everything

John Mozeliak is in charge of creating a new baseball operations for the Angels following the firing of Perry Minasian. Often new executives will bring in familiar faces who are familiar with their way of doing things.

In a previous article we looked at three potential GM hires currently with the Cardinals. But Mozeliak also has a three decade relationship with Albert Pujols who has made no secret of his desire to manage a Major League Baseball team.

Albert Pujols and John Mozeliak's relationship goes back to 1999.

Mozeliak was the Cardinals scouting director when the team drafted Pujols in 1999. Many teams were skeptical of Pujols' real age but Mozeliak drafted the slugger in the 13th round. While the doubts about Albert's real age continue to this day, he was a highly productive player for the Cardinals.

Pujols was so productive he received a massive contract extension in 2004 and was the face of the franchise when Mozeliak ascended to the General Manager's chair in 2008. The two had a solid working relationship by all accounts.

When Mozeliak held firm on his offer and allowed Pujols to sign an record breaking 10 year, $240 million contract with the Angels in 2011 the sides seemed to part amicably. When the chance for a reunion popped up in 2020 Mozeliak brought the future Hall of Famer back for a victory lap that included his 700th career home run.

Albert Pujols is already working for the Angels.

In addition to the 10 years Pujols agreed to play for the Angels he signed a 10 year personal services contract with the club. In recent years Pujols has been a prominent figure in the Dominican Republic as the Angels seek to expand their reach there.

Currently Pujols is an assitant general manger which means he is reporting directly to Mozeliak.

Kurt Suzuki is on a one year contract.

Not many franchises would cheap out on the coaching staff to the degree Arte Moreno did this off season. First time manager Kurt Suzuki is only hired for the 2026 season as are all of his assitants. It appears Moreno is so afraid of paying guaranteed salaries during a potential 2027 lockout he would only offer one year deals to the coaching staff.

And Arte has gotten what he has paid for. Suzuki's lineup contruction and bullpen useage often defy logic and math. This team is not talented enough to win even with Casey Stengel at the helm, but Suzuki has repeatedly made decisions that defy logic.

Albert Pujols was considered for the Angels managerial position.

Pujols interviewed for the Angels vacant manager's position this offseason but talks broke down when Pujols wanted control of his assistant coaching hires. Pujols also wanted the team to commit to investing in analytics and player development.

Moreno had other ideas. He wanted control of the coaching hires and has notoriously skimped on player development and front office analytics.

And then there was the money and length of contract. There was no way a man of Pujols standing in the game was going to accept a one year deal.

Pujols likely has an inside track to the job.

With the job certain to be open at the end of the 2026 season and an experienced baseball mind running the baseball operations department, Albert Pujols will again be a popular candidate to manage the Angels.

Given his long history with Mozeliak and their working relationship they will likely agree on the type of coaches they want on the staff and the amount of data they feel they need to succeed.

With Albert already in the building and already on the payroll, he could see a longtime friend put him in the dugout as skipper of the Angels.

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