It seems to be a foregone conclusion that the Los Angeles Angels will hire Joe Maddon to replace the recently fired Brad Ausmus.
The writing has been on the wall for the past nine days with a report earlier in the week indicating that Los Angeles was set to name Maddon as its new manager at some point soon.
That could very well still be the case. However, the Angels’ brass is not ending the interview process simply because it has already met with Maddon.
This could be nothing more than due diligence on the part of owner Arte Moreno and general manager Billy Eppler.
Even then, it is still rather interesting. If the Angels are locked in on Maddon, there’s no reason to delay an offer and meet with lesser candidates.
He’s a highly sought after figure after a successful five-year tenure with the Chicago Cubs. Maddon also has a 30-plus year history within the Angels’ organization and has drawn interest from the San Diego Padres.
As an organization that has struggled to remain relevant on the broader MLB stage, the Angels need to act quickly. Going through further interviews doesn’t seem to be the best play here.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days.