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. But here is the thing: baseball rarely closes a door without cracking open a window. And Washington is not stepping through that window.

And in a comeback that feels both poetic and deserved, he is headed to the Giants. Bob Nightingale of USA Today just broke the news.

Nightingale mentioned that Washington is finalising a deal with the San Francisco Giants, as their major infield coordinator, and honestly, it feels like the perfect fit- because Washington is the ultimate teacher.

He had started it off as Oakland’s first base coach and helped shape them from 1996-2006 and then again from 2015-2016. It’s the place where he built a reputation as the ultimate teacher. He left in 2006 to manage Texas and led the Rangers to their first WS appearance. And Giants need his expertise. 

Washington will now get to work on shaping the Giants’ infield defence, and it’s something he has made his career of. Matt Chapman will anchor the third base, so he has plenty of 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 mostly 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 his option for 2026. Even after Washington insisted that his health was not much of a concern, he could go on to manage. Instead, the team hired Kurt Suzuki to take over.

And yes, it must have stung Washington because he genuinely wanted to stay back. He even pushed for a meeting with owner Arte Moreno. But according to The Athletic, that meeting never happened. And the decision all came down to the performance of the team and not his health.

Washington went 99-137 with the Angels, and that includes a franchise-worst 99-loss season in 2024. Even then, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. The Angels were trending upwards at 36-38 to start 2025, before Washington stepped away in June.

This was when he started having the heart issue, due to which he eventually had to get the quadruple bypass surgery. After he left, interim manager Ray Montgomery took over, and not long after that, the season started unravelling.

Later, after Washington got his clean bill of health, he returned to the workouts and even stopped smoking. He kept wanting to finish what he started. “If Perry will have me back, I’m certainly willing to come back and finish what we started,” he said back in August.

The Angels still moved on.

So now, Washington is headed to the Giants.