As rumored last night, the Los Angeles Angels did indeed fire manager Brad Ausmus today, despite only being in the first year of his contract.
And, with the past ties between Joe Maddon and the organization, and his sudden availability, this is what everyone kinda thought might happen:
Brad Ausmus' firing by the Los Angeles Angels, as @Buster_ESPN first reported, clears the way for Joe Maddon to return to the Angels, the team for whom he worked for 30 years. While it's not a fait accompli, a number of sources believe Maddon to the Angels is likely to happen.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 30, 2019
The Angels have fired Brad Ausmus after only one season as their manager, according to @Buster_ESPN. This strikes me as a decision made above Billy Eppler, who is heading into the final year of his contract as Angels GM. Joe Maddon seems like the logical replacement.
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) September 30, 2019
And it isn’t just idle speculation, either – it seems like the Angels might be sprinting to make a move:
Joe Maddon is interested in the #Angels job. He still owns a home in Long Beach. The Angels have canceled what was supposed to be Billy Eppler’s season-ending meeting with the media in one hour.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) September 30, 2019
This could happen quickly, as the Angels may not want to risk waiting until other teams have a chance to woo Maddon. And if this plays out at this pace, you can bet that Maddon is going to be paid HANDSOMELY. This is all basically the same story as when the Cubs fired Rick Renteria to sprint and hire Maddon five years ago.
And, just like the Cubs did, if the Angels land Maddon, with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the fold, you can expect they will push AGGRESSIVELY to compete in 2020.