TORONTO -- Perry Minasian gets to keep building.

The Angels showed their trust in Minasian¡¯s vision ahead of Thursday¡¯s 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays, agreeing on a contract extension that will keep him as the club¡¯s general manager through the 2026 season.

This is a move of continuity, one more bet placed on a future that at times has seemed so distant, but which has become more clear in recent months. Minasian, who originally signed a four-year contract set to expire at the end of this season, is still the Angels¡¯ chosen architect.

¡°Over the last four years, Perry and his baseball operations staff have begun to lay the foundation for a bright future of Angels baseball,¡± owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. ¡°We have been impressed by the steps Perry has taken to infuse our Major League team with young and exciting talent while also revamping our player-development process.

¡°We believe this extension will allow him to continue the vision of building sustainable success throughout the Angels¡¯ organization and deliver a championship for our fans.¡±

Returning to winning baseball is a hurdle Minasian has yet to clear in his current position, as the Angels have posted a sub-.500 record in each of his four seasons as GM. The club hasn¡¯t made the postseason since 2014 -- tied with the Tigers for the longest drought in the Majors.

The Angels looked closer than ever to breaking that skid last year, when they announced they were going ¡°all in,¡± taking Shohei Ohtani off the trade market and adding at the Trade Deadline even as things unraveled in the AL West. They finished the season with a 73-89 record -- fourth place in the division -- and Ohtani left for the Dodgers in free agency.

From that, a new blueprint was born. Without Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon for most of 2024, the Angels turned to their youngsters and brought in a new manager in Ron Washington -- someone with whom Minasian was well acquainted from three overlapping years in the Braves¡¯ organization.

¡°I think it's the best thing that's happened to the Los Angeles Angels,¡± Washington said from the visitors¡¯ dugout at Rogers Centre. ¡°This guy is a tireless worker. He loves the organization, he loves his players, he loves doing what he does. It couldn't happen to a better guy, and I think he's going to be the guy that leads the Angels back to what they're used to having throughout time.¡±

Minasian was in Toronto for the start of the Angels¡¯ four-game set, but his only comments on the extension came via a statement.

¡°I am incredibly thankful to Arte and Carole Moreno for their continued trust and support,¡± Minasian said. ¡°I would also like to thank John Carpino for the tremendous working relationship we have developed over the last four years and I look forward to continuing our plans of bringing the Angels back to being a consistent championship contender.¡±

The direction is clear from here.

• Angels GM happy with Deadline acquisitions as Halos keep key players

After dealing from their prospect pool at the Deadline last year, the Angels added a handful of promising Minor Leaguers, including Samuel Aldegheri, George Klassen and Matthew Lugo, by trading away closer Carlos Est¨¦vez and reliever Luis Garc¨ªa this season.

At the Major League level, youngsters like Logan O¡¯Hoppe (acquired from the Phillies for Brandon Marsh in 2022) and Ben Joyce, Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto (MLB Draft picks during Minasian¡¯s tenure with the Angels) continued to take significant steps forward.

This young clubhouse is also eager to get to the winning part.

¡°It helps that we're all getting our first full [big league] year under our belt, myself included,¡± said O¡¯Hoppe. ¡°I never want to say we're gonna change things next year, because I want to change it now and do it today -- and we're doing that. We're putting things in motion to set us up better for next year, but I think it's gonna be even better now that we all have this experience under our belt.¡±

What is it that allows the Angels¡¯ budding core to trust Minasian and his plan?

¡°He¡¯ll always tell you the truth,¡± said O¡¯Hoppe. ¡°He's not going to hold back. He¡¯s always one to compete and put his best foot forward. Obviously, we're trying to build top to bottom, so it¡¯s good to have that.¡±

It starts with getting the hard part out of the way. The Angels are on pace for another tough season, sporting a .422 win percentage that would be their lowest since 1994 (.409) if the season ended today.

But the internal sentiment remains positive. There¡¯s a lot left to build.

¡°Once these young kids get through this year, then they will know what it's about to go through the dog days,¡± said Washington. ¡°It's not just going out there and because you¡¯ve got talent, you can win. Winning is acquired, just like anything else you learn in this game.¡±