LAS VEGAS — The Angels’ search for a new leader of their baseball operation is finally gaining some steam.
Interim general manager John Mozeliak said upon arriving at MLB’s GM Meetings on Monday that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment officials are holding some meetings with candidates here. The Angels are not expected to hire anyone until major league owners vote to approve the sale from Arte Moreno to Stan Kroenke’s group.
“KSE is beginning to reach out to candidates and have informal meetings with them over the course of the next few days here,” Mozeliak said. “And then ultimately, once that ownership approval happens, I would imagine then you’d see a change of leadership. But I do not have a timetable on when that vote would happen.”
As of now, the sale is still not on the docket for a vote at the owners’ meetings next week in New York, a major league source said. The approval could come anytime after that via a conference call, though.
If you think that leaves the Angels in a strange limbo at a time when other teams are trying to squeeze out whatever they can before the Dec. 1 lockout, you’d be right.
“It’s awkward,” Mozeliak said, “but my responsibility right now is to explore the trade market, see what that looks like. We’ll touch base with a handful of agents, but overall it’s really to allow ourselves to, whenever that vote happens, to ultimately be nimble and be able to react.”
If the ownership transfer doesn’t happen before the lockout (which freezes all player movement), it means the Angels’ new GM could take over at a time when he can’t do much with the roster.
While that certainly puts the Angels at a disadvantage when it comes to building their 2027 roster, it might not be such a problem if KSE is taking a more long-term view of the Angels’ rebuild. Perhaps they’ve simply decided it’s better to take some time to get the right person in the job, even at the expense of missing some opportunities this winter.
It’s still unclear who that person is.
Mozeliak said he provided KSE with a list, including some candidates who are currently running teams, but he has no idea who made the cut to meet with KSE here in Las Vegas.
Mozeliak said he’s not expecting to be involved in the meetings with job candidates this week, but “as it progresses, it can be something I’m more engaged with.”
In the meantime, Mozeliak has a few days here to talk to agents and other teams about moves.
Given his constraints, it’s not likely the Angels would pull the trigger on anything significant.
Two of the most intriguing names currently on the Angels’ roster are shortstop Zach Neto and left-hander Reid Detmers. Neto has three years left before free agency and Detmers has two, which is why both players could draw significant trade interest.
“I don’t want to name specifics, but I definitely think we have to be open-minded to our entire roster,” Mozeliak said.
Even if the lockout drags into spring training, as expected, there would still be at least a few weeks on the other end of it for deals. Presumably by then the Angels will have hired a new president of baseball operations or GM.
This week, the Angels still could make some minor moves, Mozeliak said. The team lost 100 games in 2026, so there is plenty of room for improvement.
“Certainly want to see if there’s things on the margins that can help make us better,” Mozeliak said. “Obviously we’re coming off a very difficult year and we’ll see if there’s anything we can do to address that. But I think these next few days can be fruitful in terms of actually getting a better understanding. But in terms of actual actions happening or something along those lines, obviously it’s highly unlikely.”
UREÑA GETS A VOTE
Angels right-hander Walbert Ureña earned one fourth-place vote in the American League Rookie of the Year race, finishing 11th out of the 13 players who received votes.
Ureña, 22, had a 2.97 ERA in 148⅓ innings, with 142 strikeouts. He finished third among pitchers, behind Cleveland’s Parker Messick (2.56 ERA) and Boston’s Payton Tolle (3.03), who finished second and third overall behind Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle.