The Angels are busy searching for their new general manager, and that has led them to Mike Hazen and the Red Sox. Hazen is currently the assistant GM in Boston, and has been since Ben Cherington first took the position of GM after the 2011 season, and is one of three AL East assistant GMs the Angels are interviewing for the gig.
Hazen has been interviewed for GM positions before, both with the Padres and the Dodgers. He's also one of the names under consideration for Boston's own vacated spot, as Cherington stepped down from the role when Dave Dombrowski took over as the newly created President of Baseball Operations.
Dombrowski does not seem to be in the mindset of cleaning house in the front office, as he's promoted internally on a few occasions already -- including a brand new position as Director of Pitching Analysis and Development for former MLB hurler and Red Sox scout Brian Bannister -- so the idea of Hazen as the bridge between Dombrowski and the employees who have been around makes a lot of sense.
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The Angels need to replace Jerry Dipoto, who, coincidentally, is working in Boston's front office as an advisor at the moment. Dipoto resigned from his position as the Halos' GM in July after an ultimatum inspired by manager Mike Scioscia's refusal to follow the directives of his boss. So, the Scioscia-Arte Moreno relationship is one that a new general manager in Los Angeles is going to have to deal with, and maybe Hazen won't have interest in getting involved in that.
Working as a first-time GM under Dombrowski, in an organization that is in a much better position going forward, would likely be preferred. John Henry probably isn't going to force a lifetime deal for an Albert Pujols-type on Hazen, and whoever Hazen's manager is won't have Scioscia's power and perceived infallibility, so this is a safe bet to make.
But hey, maybe not: The Angels do have Mike Trout, you know, and as much as the Red Sox do have, they don't have one of those.
Blue Jays' assistant GM Tony LaCava and Yankees' assistant GM Billy Eppler are the other AL East candidates under consideration by the Angels. Indians' VP of Player Personnel Ross Atkins is also getting a shot, as are internal candidates Matt Klentak and Scott Servais. There is certainly plenty of competition for the position, and the Sox could likely make Hazen's name disappear from that list if they just offer the same job to him.