The standings finally caught up to Perry Minasian. On Friday, the Los Angeles Angels fired their general manager and turned to longtime St. Louis Cardinals executive John Mozeliak as interim general manager and baseball operations consultant. The shake-up comes with the Halos sitting at 34-48, tied for last in the American League. Minasian, who took over the club’s baseball operations in November 2020, exits after six seasons without a winning record. Team president Molly Jolly said Mozeliak will handle day-to-day baseball operations while the Angels search for a permanent general manager.
Club statement and immediate transition
In a news release, the Angels struck a diplomatic tone, praising Minasian’s work even as they handed the keys to someone else. “Perry has been a valued leader who worked tirelessly over the last six years to strengthen our baseball operations department,” Jolly said in the statement. The club added that Mozeliak will be tasked with refining the team’s baseball operations strategy and assisting in the hunt for a new general manager, according to MLB.com.
Minasian’s tenure in Anaheim
Minasian arrived in November 2020 as the latest hope to fix a franchise stuck in neutral. Instead, the Angels never climbed higher than third place in the AL West on his watch and never topped 77 wins in a season. The low point was a 99-loss campaign in 2024, followed by only modest improvement in 2025 before another slide this year. Those results, combined with the departures of marquee talent, fueled much of the criticism aimed at the front office. That context, plus dwindling attendance and growing concern about the state of the farm system, helped turn up the heat on Minasian’s seat, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Who is John Mozeliak?
Mozeliak is not exactly a fresh face. He spent roughly three decades with the St. Louis Cardinals, serving as both general manager and president of baseball operations through the 2025 season while helping build multiple playoff teams and a World Series champion. He stepped away from St. Louis last fall and carries a reputation for blending traditional scouting with a strong player-development pipeline. His long résumé and the circumstances of his Cardinals exit were highlighted in coverage of his move to Anaheim, per MLB.com.
What comes next
The timing is not exactly gentle. Mozeliak drops in with the MLB Draft and the trade deadline fast approaching, forcing the Angels to decide quickly whether to flip veteran pieces for future help or hang on and hope for a run. The club faces immediate calls on pitchers under team control and longer-term questions about how to shape the roster and payroll. The search for a permanent general manager is expected to be thorough and could define the direction of the franchise for years, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Timeline and next steps
The team said Mozeliak will help steer the GM search and is expected to remain with the organization through the end of the calendar year. Mozeliak and Jolly were scheduled to meet with reporters before the Angels’ next game, setting the stage for a busy and closely watched summer in Anaheim. Every draft pick and deadline decision figures to be dissected in real time as the front office reset plays out, per ABC7.
