Finally, it’s time for a little zest to be plugged into Los Angeles Angels baseball. Sure, they get to call Mike Trout their own for the rest of his career. Still, something has been missing. Though perhaps soon, the Angels will have found the missing link. What if this entire time, it was just the right manager as the ingredient?
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and The Athletic reported Sunday that former Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon as his top choice to assume managerial duties. Furthermore, Maddon spent 31 years in the organization before being hired by the Tampa Rays in 2006.
Now it appears that Maddon has shook hands behind closed doors, and this thing is open and shut. Scott Miller is a national baseball reporter, and here’s what he tweeted on Monday night.
Multiple sources expect #Angels to announce Joe Maddon as new manager as soon as a day or two after his interview this week. Says one source: "It's a fait accompli, isn't it?"
— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) October 8, 2019
Moreover, the Angels went 70-92 in 2019. Immediately, they decided Brad Ausmus wasn’t the guy for the job and parted ways with him. Then, the Cubs elected on the season’s final day that they would not bring back Maddon.
Keep in mind, Maddon won the World Series with the Cubs in 2016. He was the manager of the team that lifted a 108-year title drought in Chicago.
Finally, it’s hard to say that Maddon did a poor job with the Cubs. During his tenure, he posted win totals of 97, 103, 92, 95, and then 84 before his exit. Many teams in the game would be happy to have a guy at the helm who could yield those results. However, the Cubs probably feel like they should be contending for the NL crown every year like the Los Angeles Dodgers with the payroll flexibility and core they have at their disposal.
Presumably, Maddon will join a much differently configured Angels organization and general manager Billy Epler in their quest to turn things around. While they have Mike Trout, there is little else on the horizon other than some solid big league veterans who have been around and been; just solid.
It would be good for the game of baseball to see a player like Trout play in the postseason. Therefore, if you’re a baseball fan; you should be a little excited to see this move go down. No one wants to see Trout end up like Ken Griffey Jr. in the manner that he plays his entire career without being in one World Series.
Trout and the Angels have just one playoff appearance under their belt. That was a 2014 ALDS series with the eventual champion Kansas City Royals in which they were swept in three games.
