Former Padres Manager Bud Black to Angels Front Office

Former Padres Manager Bud Black, once thought to have the Washington Nationals manager job before contract talks broke down, has accepted a position in the front office for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, as first reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

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How quickly things can change in a year? Last year Black was invigorated at what the season ahead would look like for the Padres. He had managed the team since 2007 and been on the cusp of playoff appearances just twice (2007 and 2010) but never quite made it. Now the team was bringing in big names like Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, and even spending money for the first time in his tenure.

By the end of June he was fired from the Padres despite hovering around .500 and then watched the team perform worse under his replacement Pat Murphy.

A few weeks ago he was flying to interview for a Nationals team that has stellar pitching, the reigning NL MVP and an ownership willing to go all in financially. Except it turned out their financial reign didn’t extend to the contract they wanted to offer him, so he backed out.

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Now, he goes back to a familiar situation in LA as he was the Angels pitching coach from 2000-2006 including the 2002 World Series Championship. Mike Scioscia is still the manager and with players like Albert Pujols and Mike Trout the team is in contention almost every season. The NL West is turning into one of baseballs most competitive though with the Rangers winning it last year after a resurgence from Prince Fielder and a trade deadline deal that net Cole Hamels. The Astros seem to only be getting better, so any help Black can provide is sure to be a boost.

At this time it is unknown what his role will exactly include, but he is known for his baseball knowledge and good with people, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him settle into some sort of player development role with the club.