Ron Washington just wanted one thing from the Los Angeles Angels – a fair shot to keep managing the team after beating a major health scare. But he never got the chance. And now, Washington is preparing to land at the 5th most valuable MLB team. Bob Nightingale of USA Today just broke the news.

Nightingale mentioned that Washington is finalizing a deal with the San Francisco Giants as their infield coach. Being an “infield guru,” Washington feels like the perfect fit for the $4 billion club.

He began his career as the Oakland Athletics’ 1B coach in 1996 before transitioning to 3B/infield coach. After 11 seasons with the team, he managed the Texas Rangers, compiling a 664-611 record and winning the AL pennant twice. Then again, there was a brief stint with the A’s as the infield coach between 2015-16. Before 2017, Ron Washington joined the Atlanta Braves and won his first WS title as their 3B coach in 2021.

And now, he is again all set to shape the Giants’ infield defense. Matt Chapman will anchor the third base, so he has a strong foundation to build around, too. Then there is Rafael Devers, who will be making his move to first base. It is a challenge that Washington will most likely thrive on. And if there is anyone who can help Devers settle into a brand new position, it is Washington.

This move comes right after the Angels declined to pick up Washington’s option for 2026.

They replaced Washington with Kurt Suzuki, even after he insisted that his health was not a major concern and that he could continue to manage the team.

Washington genuinely wanted to stay back. He even pushed for a meeting with owner Arte Moreno. However, according to The Athletic, that meeting never took place. The decision ultimately came down to the team’s performance, rather than his health.

Washington went 99-137 with the Angels, and that includes a franchise-worst 99-loss season in 2024. Even then, the Angels were trending upwards at 36-38 to start 2025, before Washington stepped away in June.

He started having heart issues, which eventually led to the quadruple bypass surgery. Interim manager Ray Montgomery took over, and not long after that, the season began to unravel. The Angels went 36-52, ending the season with a 72-90 record.

After Washington got his clean bill of health, he returned to the workouts and even stopped smoking. He wanted to finish what he started.

“If Perry will have me back, I’m certainly willing to come back and finish what we started,” he shared back in August.

Yet, the Los Angeles Angels moved on. So now, Washington is headed to the Giants. And San Francisco should be thrilled not because they got the man who was featured as the “Wash” in the “Moneyball” scene with Scott Hatteberg, but because Washington has a track record of developing players.

How the former Angels manager transformed Marcus Semien into a Gold Glove star

When the 2025 Gold Glove winners were announced, it was not surprising to see Marcus Semien standing alone as the Rangers’ long-time winner. However, his early days make it evident how far Semien has come defensively.

In his days with the White Sox and Oakland Athletics, he struggled badly. Semien led the AL in errors three different times. In 2015 alone, he committed 35 errors. He could’ve even been removed to a different position altogether. But then Ron Washington happened to him.

Washington took Semien under his wing during his time with the A’s, and according to Semien, it was not just a regular coaching experience. For him, it was life-changing.

“Ron Washington is the most influential baseball man in my life.”

Wash rebuilt Semien from the ground up, improving everything from his mindset and positioning to the subtle footwork that often goes unnoticed.

“I wasn’t in a competent mindset defensively,” Semien admitted.

And Washington changed that slowly, and now you can see the results. He evolved into one of baseball’s most reliable defenders and even won his second Gold Glove in 2025 with a .996 fielding percentage and only two errors in nearly 500 chances.

Semien’s story is the perfect example of what happens when talent meets the right mentor.