Could Mike Scioscia leave the Angels after 2015? It's more likely than you might think

On Monday night, Ken Rosenthal reported that Jerry Dipoto and Mike Scioscia are at odds with each other once again, however it's much more serious this time around. In 2012, Angles' owner Arte Moreno "resolved the tension between" the two by retaining both of them and forcing them to work together. While it seemingly worked, that's not the best way to solve issues between two parties; and almost three years after their first falling out, "that tension is back and far more pervasive" and extends to the "Angels coaches and even the players".

Over the weekend, there were a series of meetings between Dipoto and Scioscia that revolved around a perceived failure on the part of the Angels' coaching staff "to convey scouting information to the players". According to Rosenthal's major league sources, not only did at least one coach respond "heatedly to Dipoto" but apparently even Albert Pujols "issued a pointed rebuttal".

The meetings

The first meeting was between the GM, Scioscia and his coaching staff. It turned for the worse when Dipoto asked "the coaches to better communicate to the players scouting reports and statistical information provided by the front office." This isn't surprising, as Scioscia's unwillingness to accept data prepared by Dipoto and his staff was the original reason for their 2012 feud.

However it may have been the second meeting that took place over the weekend that caused tensions to skyrocket. Rosenthal reported that,

"in a separate meeting with the players, coaches, and Scioscia on Sunday, Dipoto informed the players that they would now be given the information directly by the front office; they then could decide on whether or not to use it.

That's potentially the worst thing that Dipoto could have done for his relationship with Scioscia, because as Rosenthal points out, he's very close with his coaching staff.

"Scioscia, like most managers, is loyal to his coaches, and would consider an attack on them an attack on his own leadership. Dipoto angered him in '12 by firing Mickey Hatcher, Scioscia's close friend, former teammate and hitting coach with the Angels for 12 seasons."

What happens next?

Scioscia is the longest tenured manager in baseball, and has been with the Angels since 2000. He's led the team to a record of 1331-1099, and helped guide the franchise to their first World Series title in 2002. In 2009, he signed a 10-year extension, however that contract gives him the right to opt-out after the end of this season.

If Scioscia is truly unhappy, then his opt-out clause could become very attractive. There are more than a few teams that are looking for long-term replacements in the managerial department, and he would be highly sought after if he made his services available.

Once the season is over, and Andy MacPhail fully takes control of the Phillies, they'll begin the process of looking for a long-term manager. The Marlins, and potentially even the Padres, will be on the hunt for a new leader in the dugout and would immediately pick up the phone to give Scioscia a call if he left the Angels.

We won't know anything until the season is over, as it would be incredibly out of character for Scioscia to publicly speak out against ownership or the front office. When asked about Rosenthal's report about tension brewing, he had "nothing to say about anything that might or might not have happened. Jerry and I work together the same way that we've worked the last couple years, and that's where we are."

While that's as close to a non-answer as you can get, it's actually fairly telling, and somewhat a confirmation about Rosenthal's report. It's a known fact that Dipoto and Scioscia haven't gotten along over the last few seasons, and if their working relationship is the same as the last couple of years, that spells bad news for Anaheim.