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.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian has been busy working with new manager Kurt Suzuki to build the club’s coaching staff, but he said at the annual GM Meetings in Las Vegas that they’re also looking at ways to improve the roster — especially the pitching staff and trying to find a left-handed bat.
The Angels have made several coaching staff hires over the last week, including pitching coach Mike Maddux, bench coach John Gibbons, first-base coach/outfield instructor Adam Eaton, catching coach Max Stassi, third-base coach Keith Johnson and infield coach Andy Schatzley. They’re still looking for hitting coaches and a bullpen coach, but Minasian has been pleased with the way the staff has been assembled so far.
It’s a mix of fiery experienced coaches, in Maddux and Gibbons, to go along with those familiar with the organization such as Eaton and Stassi, who both played for the Angels, and Johnson and Schatzley, who both came from the Minor League ranks.
“From a manager standpoint, you want to have people around you that you trust, that you love, that are talented, too,” Minasian said. “They make players better. I think we see that with the staff. He’s been surrounding himself with Mike Maddux and John Gibbons. It says a lot about Kurt and what he feels like he needs on his staff.”
So while Minasian believes the new coaches will help the club’s current players, he knows he needs to find ways to upgrade the roster after the Angels finished with a 72-90 record in 2025. It was a nine-win improvement from the year before, but the underlying stats — such as the club’s ERA/walk rate and inability to make contact — are concerning.
“Every offseason is an opportunity to change the dynamic of your club, right?” Minasian said. “Obviously, we haven’t yet. We’re looking to improve. We made it a small step last year. It was an improvement from the previous year. We want to make another significant step next year. So we’re going to look at every area to try and improve and kind of see where the offseason takes us.”
The biggest need is improving the pitching staff — as the Angels want to add two starting pitchers and are also in the market for relief help, especially with Kenley Jansen a free agent after a strong season as closer. Their only returning starting pitchers are right-hander José Soriano and lefties Yusei Kikuchi and Reid Detmers, with Detmers moving back to the rotation after a year in the bullpen.
But Minasian did reveal some good news: Reliever Robert Stephenson won’t need surgery after dealing with right elbow inflammation at the end of the season. Stephenson is expected to be ready for Spring Training, which would be a big boost for the bullpen, as he is an excellent reliever, when healthy. But Stephenson has thrown only 10 innings with the club over the last two seasons — all in 2025 — after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April ’24.
Minasian also indicated he’d like to acquire a left-handed bat to balance the lineup. The Angels are looking for a second baseman, a third baseman and possibly a center fielder if they find the right fit. But they could look to move either Taylor Ward or Jo Adell if they add a center fielder, because they have an excess of corner outfielders with Mike Trout and Jorge Soler also on the roster.
Free-agent center fielders Trent Grisham and Cedric Mullins would be fits, but there aren’t many free-agent infielders who hit left-handed outside of Jorge Polanco (switch-hitter) and Adam Frazier. Minasian said he wouldn’t rule out trying to acquire a utility player who can play multiple positions, especially with Luis Rengifo a free agent.
Minasian, though, wouldn’t say how much the payroll will change compared to last season, only saying that he believes owner Arte Moreno wants to win and that he’ll be able to make additions to the club.
“It needs to be the right player, with the right makeup,” Minasian said. “Makeup is obviously very important to us, but versatility is something from a team-building standpoint, like all 30 of [the Major League teams] would love to have it.”
