New report reveals why Angels passed on Cardinals legend Albert Pujols as manager

The moment St. Louis Cardinals legend Albert Pujols expressed interest in becoming a big league manager, it seemed like only a matter of time before he would get a shot to do so. One of his former teams, the Los Angeles Angels, had him lined up to take the job, but ended up deciding to hire former big league catcher Kurt Suzuki instead.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared that Pujols' contract demands, paired with requests he made regarding personnel changes, led to the Angels pivoting to Suzuki as their new manager this offseason. Oh, and the Angels only gave Suzuki a one-year deal, giving him no security as he works to manage one of the worst-run teams in baseball.

The Angels should have been head over heels that Pujols would even be interested in managing the club, and the fact that they balked at his requests, considering how poorly they have operated for so long, is just another feather in Angels owner Arte Moreno's cap of poor decisions.

Arte Moreno got in his own way again fumbling the Albert Pujols hire

Maybe Pujols would be open to a conversation again in the future, but for now, the legendary first baseman looks to be moving on, and there will likely be much better opportunities presented to him at some point.

Pujols was recently named the president of baseball operations for Estrellas Orientales, a Dominican Winter League team. He spent time managing in the Dominican Winter League and for Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Last offseason, the Padres and Orioles both had interest in hiring Pujols, and both the Red Sox and Phillies jobs have opened up already this season, and more jobs will become available before the offseason.

The Cardinals seem unlikely to be one of the teams that has an opening for Pujols any time soon, as they recently gave manager Oliver Marmol an extension, and he's followed that up by leading the Cardinals to a great start to the 2026 season. Barring a major change, Pujols will likely begin his managing career in another uniform, and it's also hard to imagine that being the Angels now as well.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow