The Angels have fired manager Brad Asumus after just one season, the team announced just a day after the end of the regular season. Ausmus had signed a three-year managerial contract before the start of the season, but finished 72-90 with a minus-99 run differential and 35 games behind the AL West champion Astros in his first season in Los Angeles. The Angels missed the postseason for the fifth straight year.
Angels GM Billy Eppler released the following statement:
"I want to thank Brad for his hard work and dedication to this organization over the last two seasons as both a special assistant and field manager. He navigated this franchise through one of its most difficult seasons with class and professionalism."
Ausmus, 50, was named the Angels manager last October after Mike Scioscia's departure. Ausmus' first season with the organization was a challenging one that included the tragic death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs on July 1.
The Angels 2019 season struggles were mainly due to that of an ineffective and inconsistent pitching staff. Free agent signings Cody Allen, Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill failed miserably, which forced the team to reconstruct its rotation mid-season. The club was also plagued by injuries; Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Tommy La Stella, Justin Upton, Andrew Heaney and Andrelton Simmons all missed significant time.
Ausmus previously held the Tigers manager position from 2013-17, posting a 314-322 record. The Tigers announced that they weren't renewing his four-year contract after a 98-loss season in 2017. Angels general manager Billy Eppler first hired Ausmus as a special assistant in November 2017 before he became manager of the team.
It was previously reported that the Angels would entertain the idea of replacing Ausmus if Joe Maddon were to become available. The Cubs announced that Maddon would not return as manager on Sunday. Now that Ausmus is no longer manager, that clears the path for a potential reunion between Maddon and the Angels. Maddon, 65, worked in the organization for 31 years in various different roles. Maddon was the bench coach under Scioscia in 2002, when the club won its only World Series championship.
There are now six teams that have managerial openings: Giants, Padres, Pirates, Royals, Cubs and Angels. Stay up-to-date with all the latest MLB manager firings, hirings and rumors with our managerial tracker.
