6:22pm: writes that the Angels have Danny Coulombe Jersey not yet made Pujols an official offer, though he confirms that the interview went well. 6:00pm: It seems the Angels have made up their mind about their next manager, though he still has to agree. According to a report from , the job is going to go to as long as he wants it. Per the report, Pujols met with general manager Perry Minasian last night and the meeting went well. Discu sions on a deal are in the works but theres not yet an agreement in place. It was just over a week ago that Pujols would interview for the job and would be a frontrunner.That was just a few days after it was reported that neither Ron Washington nor Ray Montgomery would be back in the job. Washington opened the 2025 season as the skipper but was away for most of the year due to quadruple bypa s surgery, with Montgomery covering for him on an interim basis. has also been as a candidate but todays reporting indicates that Hunter would only be a real consideration if things fall through with Pujols. Per Blum and Woo, the Angels hope to make an official announcement before the World Series, though there are still some contractual things to work out. The report suggests that Pujolss personal services contract could be a factor. The ten-year, $240MM contract he signed with the Angels in 2011 included a ten-year, $10MM personal services contract for after his retirement as a player. He finished his playing career after the 2022 season. He had been released by the Angels and then spent some time with the Dodgers and Cardinals. In February of 2023, he rejoined the Angels as a special a sistant to honor that personal services pact. Since hes only three seasons into that deal, there are seven years left. Its not clear how the existing contract would impact whatever is being negotiated for him to take the skipper job. Pujols has previously expre sed an interest in becoming a manager but has no experience in affiliated ball, either as a manager or as a coach. He managed Leones del Escogido, a Dominican winter ball team, last offseason. The Leones won the Serie Final over Tigres del Licey in seven games. Pujols is slated to manage the Dominican Republic national team in the upcoming World Baseball Cla sic but would presumably have to bow out of that gig if he signs with the Angels. A suming the sides are able to cro s the Ts and dot the Is, then Pujols will be in the Angels dugout yet again. It feels like a fait accompli at this point, as Blum and Woo report that the coaching staff negotiations are also already in motion. The report notes that former big leaguer , brother of , is Pujolss top choice for pitching coach. has been the Halos pitching coach for the past two years but its fairly common for new managers to make some coaching changes. The Halos havent had a winning season since 2015. Mike Scioscia had a long run as the clubs skipper, from 2000 to 2018. Since then, as the club has struggled, there has been a lot more turnover. , Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin, Washington and Montgomery have been at the helm in recent years. It seems Pujols will likely be the next guy to get a chance to turn the ship around. Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images Nick Vespi Jersey