Joe Maddon was considered the frontrunner to land the Los Angeles Angels manager job from the moment he parted ways with the Chicago Cubs, and the move has now been made official.
The Angels announced on Wednesday that Maddon has been named their next manager. Numerous reports indicated the sides agreed to a three-year deal.
#Angels GM Billy Eppler: ‘We are thrilled that Joe is coming back home and bringing an exciting brand of baseball to our fans….We believe Joe will be a great asset for our Club and look forward to him leading the team to another World Series Championship.’
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 16, 2019
Maddon has deep ties to the organization, as he was with the Angels for 31 years as a player and coach before he was named the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays. There was a report about one other veteran manager being considered the favorite after meeting with LA’s ownership, but that was likely never the case.
The Angels fired Brad Ausmus after his lone 72-90 season with the team. They were apparently planning to part ways with him even before Maddon split with the Cubs, but it would be a surprise if Maddon’s availability played no role at all in their decision.
