3 Atlanta Braves who could follow Ron Washington to the Angels
By Mark Powell
The Atlanta Braves have a pretty huge hole to fill, as Ron Washington has left their third-base line in favor of another managerial opportunity. Washington let it be known he was interested in another chance at skipper, as he was floated in Houston Astros circles before eventually taking the job in Anaheim.
Washington brings with him immense experience and an impressive resume. He led the Texas Rangers to two pennants before establishing an impeccable culture with the Braves. In an interview with David O'Brien of The Athletic (subscription required), Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos discussed what losing Washington means for Atlanta.
“I’m going to look back on this in my career, that I’m honored I got a chance to work with him,” Anthopoulos said, per O'Brien. “He’s everything you could want. He deserves the opportunity. He’s excited. Obviously, I’m excited for him. It’s a huge loss for us. And I emphasize that in caps, bold, italicized, all of it. A huge, huge void."
Unfortunately for Anthopoulos and the Braves, Washington was so beloved in the clubhouse there are plenty of pending free agents (and trade targets) who would love to play for him.
Eddie Rosario could follow Ron Washington to the Angels
Eddie Rosario is an intriguing option for the Angels outfield, as signing him could allow the likes of Mike Trout to move to DH, thus liming his injury risk. Assuming Los Angeles does lose Shohei Ohtani this offseason, Trout moving out of the outfield and into a position with a far less likelihood of injury makes all the sense in the world. Rosario is a possible answer there -- he has experience in multiple outfield spots, and at the very least would serve as a potential platoon bat.
Rosario is very familiar with Washington, and the Braves just declined his $9 million option, making him a free agent. Back in 2021, it was Rosario who played hero along with so many others to help bring the Braves a World Series. That kind of experience -- as well as the ability to help Washington implement his clubhouse culture as a former Braves veteran -- could be exactly what the new Angels skipper needs.