LOS ANGELES – St. Louis Cardinals legend Albert Pujols, who also spent 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Angels as a player, could possibly become the Angels’ next big-league manager, according to multiple reports.
The Angels, who missed the postseason for an MLB-high 11th straight year, parted ways with manager Ron Washington on Monday, potentially setting the stage for a high-profile hire.
Two separate reports emerging Tuesday suggest Pujols could become the next manager, with one even going as far as to suggest he “will be” the next manager.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Angels’ top candidates currently include Pujols, Torii Hunter and Michael Young, all former All-Stars as players in the early 2000s.
Meanwhile, Dominican Republic baseball insider Héctor Gómez reported that Pujols “will be announced as the Angels’ new manager,” citing fellow international sports personality Franklin Mirabal.
As of Wednesday, no other credible media reports have confirmed a deal is imminent.
Pujols retired in 2022 after a 22-year career that included 703 home runs (fourth-most all-time), three MVP awards, and two World Series championships with St. Louis.
Since then, Pujols has often expressed his desire to manage at the big-league level someday. Pujols has already managed Dominican baseball team Leones del Escogido to multiple championships, and he is currently set to manage the Dominican Republic national baseball team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
If Pujols does indeed get a shot to manage next season, it won’t be with St. Louis, at least to start the 2026 campaign. The Cardinals confirmed Tuesday that Oli Marmol will return for his fifth consecutive season at the helm.
One notable consideration to recent reports, Pujols has been fulfilling a 10-year personal services contract with the Angels since 2023, primarily working as a special assistant and guest instructor. Should he become manager, it’s unclear how that contract would be handled.
Pujols has not commented publicly on Tuesday’s reports, and it remains somewhat unclear how much traction the possibility of him managing the Angels currently holds.