Angels name Bill Stoneman interim general manager

With Jerry Dipoto officially out as general manager, the Los Angeles Angels have named Bill Stoneman, the architect of their 2002 World Series championship team, as the Angels' interim replacement, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports.

The news was revealed just moments before the Angels took on the New York Yankees Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.

According to Gonzalez, the Angels could open a wider search for a permanent replacement this offseason, or could promote assistant general manager Matt Klentak. It was reported earlier Wednesday that both Klentak and Scott Servais, the team's other assistant GM, would remain with the club.

Stoneman, 71, served as the Angels general manager from 1999-2007, a stretch that netted Los Angeles a World Series championship in 2002 and four postseason appearances overall. When Stoneman stepped down following the 2007 season, Tony Reagins held the position until 2011, when Dipoto was hired. Stoneman has been serving as the team's senior adviser of baseball operations.

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Following Stoneman's run as GM, the Angels have made the postseason three times, but only once in the past five seasons.  

Though not in line to take over full-time, Stoneman seems like a good fit to bridge the Angels. He was the man who hired Mike Scioscia as manager in 2000, so the two obviously have a good rapport. His experience will be valuable as the Angels transition into the next full-time GM. But above all else Stoneman provides stability at a time of chaos. 

It won't solve all of their issues, but Stoneman should help pave a smoother road back to normalcy.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813