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John Mozeliak just cleared Cardinals legend Albert Pujols’ path to managing the Angels

The hiring feels inevitable, doesn't it?
ByJosh Jacobs
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Sep 30, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; (L-R) St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) waves to fans as president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oliver Marmol (37) look on during a ceremony to celebrate Albert Pujols 700th career home run before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; (L-R) St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) waves to fans as president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oliver Marmol (37) look on during a ceremony to celebrate Albert Pujols 700th career home run before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Last offseason, the Los Angeles Angels appeared headed toward a reunion with Albert Pujols, this time as their new manager. Negotiations fell through, and now one year later, another former St. Louis Cardinal may be the key to making the deal happen this time in John Mozeliak.

Mozeliak, who is currently serving as the interim general manager for the Angels, is widely expected to pursue Pujols to fill the Angels' mangerial gig after the club declined Kurt Suzuki's option for the 2027 season.

Buckle your seatbelts, as we may be headed toward a bit of a "St. Louis, West Coast edition" situation on our hands.

Albert Pujols becoming the Angels manager would deepen Cardinals connections

Not only is Mozeliak the interim general manager, but the Angels were recently bought by Stan Kroenke, who infamously moved the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles and still owns that team to this day.

On top of that, current Cardinals assistant general manager, Randy Flores, is widely seen as a top candidate for the Angels' open general manager role, and Mozeliak is expected to remain with the Angels in some capacity as well.

Talk about poaching from the St. Louis braintrust!

Pujols would make a ton of sense to be the Angels next manager due to his history with the organization, the departure of former owner Arte Moreno, the Cardinals connections that already exist there, and Pujols' desire to manage a Major League team.

The Angels finally seem to be embracing a rebuild, but with Kroenke's influence now, the club could be set to spend big money to help jumpstart their rebuild and get the club to compete in an American League West that is relatively weak right now.

Pujols has worked various gigs since his retirement, managing in the Dominican Winter League as well as the World Baseball Classic, and serving as an analyst with MLB Network as well. He's been seen as a candidate for other open managerial gigs as well, and there were rumors that he would be up for jobs this offseason again as well.

The Angels job makes too much sense at this point, and it feels only a matter of time before we get the news that Pujols will be their next skipper, along with the potential hiring of Flores as well.

Who would've though that Kroenke, Mozeliak, Pujols, and more would be working together in Los Angeles? Wild times!

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