It's looking as though Albert Pujols won't be making a return to Los Angeles.
The former MLB great is no longer considered a candidate in the Angels' search for a new manager, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Monday.
Pujols had reportedly been a top candidate for the vacant Angels position, and has drawn interest from the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres — both of whom remain in the running.
According to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, Pujols will interview with the Padres on Wednesday.
There was mutual interest between Pujols and the Angels, but after meeting over the last week, they were unable to find common ground on contract terms and appointments to the team's coaching staff, Heyman reported.
The Angels declined manager Ron Washington's 2026 option at the end of the 2025 season after the team finished last in the AL West at 72-90. Washington, 73, left the team in June after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery but said he was told the decision was about performance and not health.
Pujols, 45, spent 10 years as a player with the Angels after signing a landmark 10-year, $240-million contract in December 2011.
He retired in 2022 after a 22-year career that also included 12 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he won three MVPs and two World Series, and a brief stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Pujols, a seemingly surefire Hall of Famer who launched 703 home runs with a career .296 batting average, has already been selected as the Dominican Republic's manager for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
He's also collected managerial experience in the Dominican Winter League.
