Making official what was reported last night, Jerry Dipoto has resigned as Angels general manager, stepping down from the job he’s held since 2011 after losing an apparent power struggle with manager Mike Scioscia.
Stories about Dipoto and Scioscia not getting along well have been common for the past 2-3 years, but the relationship apparently reached a boiling point recently and Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com documented the drama in a lengthy article detailing the feud.
Some reports today suggested that Angels owner Arte Moreno would try to talk Dipoto out of leaving the job, hoping to salvage the relationship or at least keep other members of the front office from leaving along with him, but that apparently failed.
Dipoto’s decision-making track record is a mixed bag, but it’s worth noting that some of his least successful moves--and specifically signing Josh Hamilton for $125 million--were forced upon him by Moreno and Scioscia has also played a role in some prominent personnel changes that turned out poorly for the Angels.
Scioscia is the longest-tenured manager in baseball with 16 years on the job and also reportedly had star first baseman Albert Pujols on his side, so it’s no surprise that Moreno picked them over Dipoto. In fact, Dipoto’s predecessor, Tony Reagins, was fired at least in part because he clashed with Scioscia.
For better or worse, Moreno is standing with Scioscia.