With Wash on board, what's next for Angels?

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger's Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Angels left the annual GM Meetings with a new manager, as they officially hired Ron Washington on Wednesday to replace Phil Nevin, whose option wasn’t picked up for the 2024 season.

It was the first big move of the offseason for the Angels, who clearly valued experience in their search for a new manager, as fellow veteran Buck Showalter was also heavily considered. But the Angels went with Washington, who previously managed the Rangers from 2007-14, including leading them to World Series appearances in 2010 and ’11.

There will be plenty more on Washington in the coming days, especially with his press conference set for next week. General manager Perry Minasian met with the media in Arizona on Tuesday and Wednesday, including shortly before news broke that the Angels had hired Washington. But Minasian isn’t expected to be available again until the press conference.

Minasian, though, did say the Angels will also have some changes to their coaching and strength and conditioning staffs. Pitching coach Matt Wise, hitting coach Marcus Thames and catching coach Drew Butera left the organization to join the White Sox, while the club is also set to replace strength and conditioning coaches Matt Tenney and Adam Auer.

There have also been some early reports on who could join the coaching staff, including one from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that said the club is planning to hire Torii Hunter (first-base coach), Chili Davis (hitting coach), Eric Young Sr. (third-base coach), Clint Hurdle (bench coach) and Ryan Goins (infield coach). But the Angels have yet to make any official announcements about any coaching hires outside of signing Washington to a two-year deal as manager.

The big question for Washington will be whether he’ll be able to manage two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who is currently a free agent. Minasian was asked if the club has made any progress in trying to re-sign Ohtani early this offseason but he wouldn’t get into specifics about negotiations. Ohtani was extended a qualifying offer on Monday, which means the Angels will get Draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere, and he was also named a finalist for the AL MVP Award, which he’s expected to win for the second time in three years.

“I don’t talk about negotiations but he’s a great player and there’s going to be a lot of attention on it and I understand why,” Minasian said. “We’ll see how the offseason develops. We’ve got our plan and we’re going to try and execute that plan and see where everything goes.”

Ohtani’s decision is expected to have a major impact across baseball, as it could have a ripple effect with so many clubs interested in him. Once he signs, it could lead to a domino effect, but Minasian said he doesn’t believe the Angels are in a tough spot if Ohtani doesn’t make an early decision.

“You don't base an offseason on one single player,” Minasian said. “You have to have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, and so on and so forth. So we were going to work, and like we always do, we're going to be aggressive. We're going to have a lot of conversations, and we'll just see where everything goes.”

Here are some other notes from Minasian from his time with the media at the Omni Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz.

• Mike Trout (left hamate fracture) and Anthony Rendon (deep bone bruise in left shin) are both expected to be healthy and ready to go for Spring Training. They both were close to being fully healthy by the end of the regular season.

• Catcher Max Stassi, who missed the 2023 season because of a hip injury and a family emergency, will be back with the Angels in 2024. Stassi remains under contract through next season after signing a three-year deal worth $17.5 million with an option for ’25.

• The Angels have yet to decide if they will be hiring a new assistant general manager to replace Alex Tamin, who was dismissed after the season. The Angels currently don’t have an assistant GM.

• The Angels are bringing back former bullpen coach Dom Chiti as a Minor League pitching coordinator. Minasian and Chiti previously worked together in Atlanta’s organization and Minasian praised Chiti for his work with young pitchers.

• Minasian said he is still waiting to hear from MLB if the Angels ended up over or below the luxury tax at the end of the regular season. They went above it at the Trade Deadline but tried to dip back under it late in the year, when they placed and lost veterans Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Hunter Renfroe, Matt Moore and Dominic Leone to waivers.