How Much Will Looming Lockout Affect Los Angeles Angels' Critical Offseason?

The upcoming MLB offseason looms as one of the most consequential in the 66-year history of the Los Angeles Angels' franchise.

In fact, the Angels may be the first franchise in MLB history that needs to work through the following big-picture items in one offseason:

1. Whither Kurt Suzuki?

Former GM Perry Minasian's ultimate dice roll, the hiring of the no-experience Suzuki to manage the 2026 team, ended in abject failure with the team sliding to a 62-100 record, the first time an Angels' squad has hit the 100-loss mark.

So, what is Suzuki's future in the manager's chair? While the general consensus is that Suzuki needs to be replaced ASAP, there are some voices who are willing to give him a second season at the helm.

Which brings us to the second question...

2. Who will actually be deciding if Suzuki stays or if a new manager is needed?

When Minasian was dismissed in June, he was replaced on an interim basis by longtime MLB front-office executive John Mozeliak. Now, as the offseason commences, there has been no concrete sign whether or not Mozeliak will be retained in 2027 or if a replacement will need to be found, with Mozeliak himself saying in late September that the search for an answer to the GM situation had "been paused." That hasn't stopped some from outside the organization speculating about who a potential new GM could be.

Perhaps that's because...

3. Stan Kroenke's Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) enterprise announced on Sept. 1 that it had reached an agreement to purchase the Angels from Arte Moreno for $4 billion. While that set off universal celebrations among the Angels' faithful, with the deal expected to be rubber-stamped by the other 29 owners early next year, it also brings uncertainty.

The new KSE management team will be expected to do a root-to-branch review of the organization and only after that is completed will anyone outside of the new regime know what path they will ultimately choose to follow.

Which brings us to a fourth reason why this offseason will be so unique from an Angels' perspective.

Though it has lurked in the background like an evil specter all season, there is every indication that at midnight on Dec. 1, a mere 54 days away from Oct. 8, a lockout of the players by the owners will finally fully rear its ugly head.

The most concrete indication that this will indeed be the case emerged on Oct. 7 when Evan Drellich, a writer for The Athletic, reported that the MLB central office had begun laying out the parameters for what a lockout will look like.

Drellich reported that a confidential memo that was sent to team executives on Oct. 1 stated that the basic facts of a lockout will be these: "Virtually all business between MLB players on 40-man rosters and their teams will halt until there’s a new deal. No trades, no signings."

Digging deeper, the memo instructed teams, among other things, that player images and videos will be scrubbed from official league and team websites; club officials should, if possible, avoid all contact with players, up to and including attending weddings or sending holiday cards; offseason workout plans need to be communicated before the lockout, but not after; and the major-league portion of the Rule 5 draft will likely be canceled.

Of special note for the players, MLB will not prohibit them from playing in other professional leagues during a lockout, which opens the door for players to play in Japan, South Korea or elsewhere, which some did during the most recent lockout in 2021-22.

This ultimately means that it may be a while before anyone knows not only who will be managing the Angels or running the team's front office, but who will actually be donning the red-and-blue uniform in 2027, if there even is a 2027 season.

Welcome to the dysfunctional family that is the MLB, Stan Kroenke and KSE.