Tensions Reportedly Growing in Angels’ Front Office, Arte Moreno Stepped In

Sources confirm decision-making issues among the Halos coaching and front office

Through one month of baseball, your Los Angeles Angels are keeping their head above .500. They are within the thick of things in the AL West, and that's all you can ask for, considering how years past have gone for the Halos. 

It's been an eventful month full of ups and downs for the Angels, and a lot of it could've been due to Angels GM Perry Minasian and owner Arte Moreno. 

The Angels Lock On podcast cited sources on their Tuesday episode that manager Phil Nevin was given a playbook on pitcher usage and baserunning. On top of that, Moreno needed to step in and tell Minasian that he needs to let Nevin do his job. 

.@LockedOnAngels, citing sources, is reporting that Arte Moreno reportedly:

“Stepped in and informed Perry that he needs to let Nevin do his job” after “Phil Nevin was given a playbook” on pitcher usage and baserunning.https://t.co/OKAoja6tjm

— BTH (@BeyondTheHalo) May 2, 2023

Locked On Angels hosts Jon Frisch and Mike Frisch discuss this around the 24:30 minute mark on the episode. 

The brother hosts pointed out the significant changes that have been made and the differences between the so-called 'playbook" and Nevin's decision-making. Moreno has been known to make some boneheaded decisions in his time as owner, but this move to step up and be the voice of reason was great to hear. 

The manager needs to be trusted to do his job and control all facets of his ball club, and the front office needs to be able to deal with the ramifications of those decisions. This isn't the first time the front office and coaching have budded heads. The firing of former Halos skipper Joe Maddon was largely due to his frustration with how involved the front office was with his coaching decisions. Joe didn't like how things were being handled, and he got the boot because of that. 

Perry wanted things to be his way, and Moreno wasn't having any of that. The playbook that Minasian constructed was not working, and Arte needed to step in and do the right thing.

Hopefully, this leads to more wins in the column for the Halos, and this 'playbook' doesn't come back from the dead.