Mike Scioscia is nearing the end of his contract and his 19th season as manager of the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels, however, are not nearing the end of two important droughts: years without a playoff appearance (four) or victory (nine). Put two and two together and there's an obvious equation for change.

Predictably, there have already been murmurs that Scioscia will not return next season. Heck, the Angels stirred up more speculation by installing Eric Chavez -- who has history with Billy Eppler and is viewed as a legitimate managerial candidate -- as their Triple-A skipper in early August.

Scioscia denied any intent to resign and the rumors died down. But on Monday he reiterated that he wants to continue to manage:

Barring an unforeseen change of heart by management, ownership, or both, it seems Scioscia could be removed within the next week or so. From there, the Angels would presumably hand the reins to Chavez, whose name has again popped up in connection with the job:

There's no way of knowing whether this is a "smart" or "right" decision. Scioscia has his downsides, but Chavez is by and large an unknown. That hasn't stopped similar candidates from succeeding -- the AL playoff field will include two rookie skippers who hadn't managed in the majors before this year -- but it's not a given that Chavez will be an upgrade, either.

Based on how things look, the Angels intend to find out the truth for themselves.