Joe Maddon, Los Angeles Angels finalizing deal

MLB Rumors: Joe Maddon and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are finalizing a deal for Maddon to come on board as the new manager of the Angels, per multiple reports on the tweetbox.

This move has been expected since the Angels fired Brad Ausmus as their manager after his first year at the team’s helm in 2019. Maddon has a long, terrific track record as a manager with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago Cubs, and after the Cubs opted not to bring him back for 2020, a return to Anaheim, where he coached for many years and won a World Series ring as Mike Scioscia’s bench coach, seemed inevitable.

I’ve seen some Rangers fans express dismay or exasperation over Maddon coming on board with Anaheim, acting almost as if this is on par with the Angels landing Shohei Ohtani a couple of years ago. Its worth noting, however, that Maddon’s Cubs teams underachieved the last couple of years, and the impact of even a really good manager (which I think Maddon is) compared to a mediocre manager is not all that great.

Teams also don’t appear to think that a manager makes a big difference. Reports indicate that Maddon will be getting somewhere in the neighborhood of $4-5 million per year for three years. As a point of reference, Marco Estrada and Matt Adams each signed last offseason for $4 million. Jon Jay got $4 million. Jordy Mercer got $5.25 million. Wilmer Flores got $4.25 million. David Freese got $4.5 million. Freddy Galvis got $5 million. Billy Hamilton got $5.25 million. Kurt Suzuki got 2 years, $10 million.

Based on what teams are paying, Joe Maddon, one of the best managers in the game, is worth, per year, the same amount as a fringe regular, a decent backup, a #5 starter, or a middle reliever.