Alden GonzalezSep 30, 2025, 05:10 PM ET
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
Ron Washington, who missed more than half of the 2025 season after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery, will not be returning as manager of the Los Angeles Angels in 2026, he told The Athletic on Tuesday.
Interim manager Ray Montgomery also will not get the full-time manager role in 2026, a source confirmed to ESPN, as the Angels will search for their sixth manager in nine years.
Washington told The Athletic that general manager Perry Minasian told him that the team’s decision to not pick up his contract option was based on the team’s performance — the Angels went 36-38 prior to him leaving — rather than the manager’s health.
“You know, when you’re a competitor, and you’re in charge, none of that stuff comes into play,” Washington told The Athletic. “Sometimes you’ve got to make chicken salad out of chicken s—.
“I have to accept that. I can’t go back to argue with them to try and tell them different when they’ve made a decision. … We were starting to perform better.”
Ron Washington said he had the Angels “going in the right direction” prior to him having heart surgery. “I think the team took on my personality. We were definitely showing that. When everything goes not the way people wanted, you take the blame for it.” Robert Gauthier/Getty Images
Washington, who turns 74 in April and was the oldest manager in the majors this past season, told The Athletic that he never had the opportunity to talk about the team’s decision with Angels owner Arte Moreno. He also said that he’d like to continue managing or join a team’s coaching staff.
The Angels finished with a 72-90 record, accounting for their 10th consecutive losing season. They’ve made the playoffs just once since 2009.
After Mike Scioscia stepped down at the end of the 2018 season, ending a 19-year run that included the franchise’s only World Series championship, the Angels went through Brad Ausmus, Joe Maddon and Phil Nevin as managers over a five-year stretch. None produced more than 77 wins.
Washington, the former Texas Rangers manager and highly regarded infield instructor, was brought in ahead of the 2024 season in hopes that he could mentor a young nucleus headlined by Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe, Nolan Schanuel and Jo Adell. However, the team finished with a franchise-record 99 losses.
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The 2025 team showed some promise but wound up finishing last in the American League West for the second straight year, 25½ games out of first.
“I think I had the team going in the right direction, I really did,” Washington told The Athletic. “And it was just too bad that my health came into play. There’s nothing that I can do about that.
“It was my team. I think the team took on my personality. We were definitely showing that. In this business, this is the kind of stuff that happens to you. When everything goes not the way people wanted, you take the blame for it. And I’m OK.”
Washington last managed a game on June 19, when he left the Angels after experiencing shortness of breath and appearing fatigued during a four-game series against the New York Yankees.
He eventually underwent quadruple-bypass surgery but stressed last month that he was in good health and wanted to return as the Angels’ manager in 2026.
“What happened to me saved my life,” Washington said earlier this season, adding that he has quit smoking, changed his eating habits and is sleeping better.
Overall, Washington was 99-137 in two seasons with Los Angeles.
Montgomery’s option also will not be picked up. The rest of the Angels’ coaching staff also had 2026 options, but their status is not yet known.
Perry Minasian, who just finished his fifth season as the Angels’ general manager, is under contract through 2026, though the team has not made a formal announcement about his status.
Albert Pujols and Torii Hunter, two decorated former Angels who currently serve as special assistants with the team, are considered strong candidates to become the next manager — unless owner Arte Moreno seeks someone with more experience.
Washington was the winningest manager in Rangers history, compiling a 664-611 record from 2007 to 2014. He led them to their first two World Series appearances, in 2010 and 2011. After initially returning to the Athletics organization for the 2015 and 2016 campaigns, Washington joined the Atlanta Braves’ staff from 2017 to 2023 and was part of their 2021 World Series championship team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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