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The Los Angeles Angels dismissed their now-former General Manager Billy Eppler on September 27th after five seasons on the job and zero playoff appearances. The organization has since begun an exhaustive search for their next top baseball decision-maker, with the belief that they may be leaning towards someone with more of a background in traditional scouting. According to a report from Ken Rosenthal, the Angels may talk to up to 20 candidates during their initial round of interviews, including a high-ranking official with the Milwaukee Brewers:
In addition to many names previously reported, former Giants GM Bobby Evans and Brewers assistant GM Matt Arnold have interviewed for Angels’ GM job, sources tell The Athletic. First round, consisting of approximately 20 interviews, expected to be completed early next week.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 30, 2020
Matt Arnold, 40, is listed as a Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager to David Stearns in Milwaukee. He oversees all the departments within baseball operations, assisting in roster construction and player personnel decision, financial planning, player development, and both foreign and domestic scouting and analytics, among several other responsibilities as listed in his profile on the team’s website.
Arnold graduated from UC-Santa Barbara in 2001 and worked with the Dodgers and Rangers before getting hired on with the Cincinnati Reds in 2003. He served as an assistant director of professional scouting with the Reds before moving on to Tampa Bay as a professional scout in 2006. He was promoted to director of professional scouting by the Rays in 2009 and eventually became their director of player personnel in 2015. He was hired by the Brewers to serve as AGM under David Stearns in October of 2015.
Arnold does have extensive background in boots-on-the-ground scouting, but he is also well-versed in the analytical side of the game and should be able to bring a well-blended approach to a General Manager position, should he ever get chosen for one. He has been linked to myriad openings over the years, including the Pirates’ gig last winter and the San Francisco job a couple winters ago. He has not yet landed a gig as someone’s top executive, but whenever he does get consideration, he winds up with more responsibilities and a bigger title within Milwaukee’s front office.
Whoever does win up with the job in Anaheim will have the task of figuring out how to use the team’s great financial resources to build a winning team around Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon.