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Although he enjoyed most of best moments in the big leagues wearing a St. Louis Cardinals uniform, legendary hitter Albert Pujols spent quite a lot of time in Anaheim as well. After entering free agency following the 2011 season, Pujols signed a a 10-year deal with the Angels worth around $254 million.
It appears Pujols might be set to enjoy another stint at Angel Stadium in the near future, this time as the team's manager. After the Angels relieved former skipper Ron Washington of his duties on Tuesday, insider Ken Rosenthal has reported that Pujols is "the lead candidate" to take over.
FOX Sports: MLB posted about Rosenthal's reports via X on Wednesday.
"Albert Pujols could be returning to the Angels dugout, but as their manager per @Ken_Rosenthal" the post read
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Reacting to the news, several fans voiced their concerns, claiming that the Angels needed someone with much more experience of managing at the big league level.
"God Iād hate this," a fan wrote.
"Zero managerial experience, already on the books (read: economical/cheapā¦), and no serious plan for fixing the teamā¦this tracks." another fan commented.
"past players who manage aren't always great coaches (without experience). guess we'll find out š¤·āāļø," another replied,
"Can already seeā¦. Albert Pujols relieved of his duties after a 10-30 record start," one responded,
"Great, somebody with no managerial experience," another shared.
"Thx i hate it," one posted.
Albert Pujols has already made his aspirations of managing in the big leagues clear
Having enjoyed an extremely successful career as a player, Albert Pujols is now determined to do the same as a manager. The 45-year-old has managed the the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League, leading them to the 2024-25 league title and a Caribbean Series win in 2025.
Pujols has also been chosen as the man to lead the Dominican Republic National Baseball Team for the World Baseball Classic in 2026.
Featuring in an exclusive interivew uploaded to the New York Post Sports YouTube channel on Sept. 26, Albert Pujols talked about how he his currently working hard to prepare for 2026's tournament. Further, he also spoke about his aspirations of managing in the big leagues.
"I'm a player's manager. I have the opportunity to go back this year to the Dominican Republic, and to be able to lead them to a championship. So, I'm doing a lot of hard work with that. Now I'm really focused on that."
"Hopefully [after this] I get an opportunity to be a manager in the big leagues. I'm staying busy in the things that I know and that I'm good at, just trying to continue to set an example for others," Pujols said [8:53]
Having endured another disappointing season in 2025, the Angles finished bottom of the AL West with a 72-90 record. If Albert Pujols is eventually named manager as reports claim, fans will hope he leads the team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
