A report earlier on Wednesday indicated that the Los Angeles Angels were nearing a deal to name Joe Maddon their new manager. That’s now come to fruition.
Maddon, 65, was always destined to return to his Angels roots after the World Series-winning manager mutually parted ways with the Chicago Cubs following the regular season.
Maddon spent over three decades in the Angels’ organization, acting as their interim manager in both 1996 and 1999. Maddon had signed with the Angels as a free agent catcher back in 1975, but never made it past Single-A as a player.
The longtime manager had a ton of success in that role with both the Tampa Bay Rays and Cubs.
He managed Tampa from 2006-14, leading that previously downtrodden organization to four postseason appearances. After taking over as the Cubs’ manager in 2015, he led them to four playoff appearances in five seasons. That included an elusive World Series title in 2016.
The Angels hope that going back to Madden will ultimately help them turn things around. They have earned all of one playoff appearance in the past decade.