Former Angels GM Hired By Braves As Senior Scouting Advisor

Former Los Angeles Angels GM Perry Minasian has a new job after being fired by the Halos in June, as he’s caught on with the Atlanta Braves as a senior advisor in amateur scouting, according to a report from Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com that referenced material from Jesus Cano of The Athletic. 

It’s a long fall from being a GM to a scouting advisor, but Minasian more or less earned this based on his performance as the GM in Anaheim. 

Minasian somehow lasted a little five years with the Angels despite the team getting worse with each successive season, until the Halos finally fired him this year, then cleaned house in a debacle that resulted in a 100-loss season. 

The GM turned the Angels into an MLB punch line, making one ridiculous move after another that consistenly backfired. He earned the trust of owner Arte Moreno, however, which is part of why the soon-to-be former owner took so long to fire him. 

The Angels missed the playoffs throughout his entire tenure, although in his defense he was working for an owner who consistently refused to spend money on the team and basically ran the operation into the ground. 

The Atlanta job actually makes some sense for Minasian, though. His original background was in talent evaluation, and Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos knows Minasian from his previous stint with the Braves. 

As such, this is basically a crony/buddy hire, and those happen all the time in baseball. It’s a relatively soft landing for Minasian given how bad his reputation was when he left the Angels, and it wouldn’t be a total shock to see him have some success in his new position. 

His Angels tenure is another matter entirely, however. You’d have to do a pretty serious hunt to find a GM who’s been as bad as Minasian was in Anaheim, although there’s always the Colorado Rockies if you’re looking for that sort of thing. 

Meanwhile, the Angels fortunes seemed to have turned considerably back in a positive direction. New owner Stan Kroenke has deep pockets and a reputation for hiring good people, then stepping aside to let them do their jobs. 

That’s exactly what the Halos need right now, although it will take time to fix the mess Minasian and Moreno left behind, and it’s going to be especially difficult with the impending lockout less than a month away.