ANAHEIM, Calif. — John Gibbons wanted to dial things down once last season ended so he told the New York Mets, for whom he’d served as bench coach in 2024 and 2025, that he was stepping away from the role.

His plan was a return to scouting, something he’d done after parting with the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of the 2018, and he was speaking to old friend Alex Anthopolous, president of baseball operations and GM for the Atlanta Braves, when something different came his way.

“Alex said, ‘Perry might be calling you, because they’re hiring Zuk, so at least take the phone call,” recalled Gibbons, referring to Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian and his new manager, Kurt Suzuki. “I said, alright, I hit it off with Zuk and then they offered me the job. Of course, I knew Perry (from their time together in Toronto), I had that connection. In New York, I had no connection, so I said, you know what, I can give it another year. For some reason, though, I always end up in the most expensive cities — Toronto, New York, Anaheim. I'd like to save a little money, you know?”

Cost of living aside, Gibbons is relishing the unexpected opportunity to mentor another rookie manager, just as he did in New York with the well-respected Carlos Mendoza.

Though little in Anaheim is certain beyond this season — Suzuki received only an unusual one-year deal, matching him up with the expiration of Minasian’s contract at season’s end – the Angels feature some........

© Sportsnet