Jerry Dipoto is no longer clueless about his future with the Los Angeles Angels because on Friday his club-option was picked up by the team for the 2015 season. His 2016 option remains in play. The weird thing is this did not happen recently, according to Alden Gonzales, this option was picked up around the All-Star Break but Dipoto just received the news on Friday.

“I’m very happy to get the opportunity to move forward for another year,” Dipoto said, adding that he will retain assistant general managers Scott Servais and Matt Klentak. “I’m looking forward to taking care of the rest of the baseball group.

Dipoto, 46, signed a three-year contract with two club options following the 2011 season. He had previously been with the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. There was speculation after 2012 that Dipoto would be fired because of the team’s disappointing play on the field or possibly because of reports of a rift between him and Manager Mike Scioscia. He ended up firing hitting coach Mickey Hatcher and the manager and general manger began to get along.

After missing the playoffs at 89-73 in 2012, the Angels had another rough season going 78-84 in 2013 to finish 18 games behind division champion Oakland.

This season, the general manager has made several smaller splashes. He acquired starting pitchers Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs in trades, signing setup man Joe Smith as a costless agent and acquiring veteran closers Huston Street and Jason Grilli in midseason trades. With more help coming from the bullpen, the team showed that they are a team ready to win now. It gave Los Angeles the boost they needed to take the lead of their division.

“This business generally takes care of itself, and that’s kind of what’s happened,” Dipoto said. “The job we’ve done to this point is probably why this is even a possibility. But we’re still very much focused on 2014. This team has played so well to this point. We have a lot to do this season and hopefully this postseason.”

As things stand today, the Angels are 85-55, which is good for the best record in Major League Baseball.

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About the author
Evan Petzold
Evan Petzold is a Detroit-based journalist with expertise in covering the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. A member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) and Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DBSA), he brings a unique skill set in reporting and broadcasting to the table.