Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon stepped down from his job and quit the team on Friday, stunning many in baseball, as he was expected to return, but after the departure of GM Andrew Friedman, a clause in Maddon's contract allowed him to opt out and he did just that and some have speculated that he could be an option over Don Mattingly with the LA Dodgers now that Friedman has taken over.
According to ESPN.com, Maddon opted to use the opt-out clause in his contract and left the team "immediately" and it comes after the two sides could not agree on a new contract. The report says that the two sides had tried to work on a deal and while they were close, Maddon decided to move on rather than work out a deal. Maddon said that he will take time and see what opportunities are out there and now there is a chance that he could be out of work for the 2015 season.
The Rangers and Astros already made hires for their open manager positions and now some have speculated that Andrew Friedman could bring Maddon to the Dodgers. Last week Friedman said that Mattingly would be the manager in 2015, so obviously something would have to happen for that to transpire. Maddon leaves after taking the team to the playoffs four times and he also took the team to the World Series on time.
Mattingly is on a three year extension that extends through the 2016 season and after speculation about his job security, the Dodgers said he would be returning. Last season the team went 77-85 under Maddon and missed the playoffs and now they need a new manager. Maddon and the team got off to a slow start last season and they were one of the worst in baseball and they bounced back for a stretch before slumping in the second half.
Maddon is known as an outside the box thinking manager and that has earned him raves from around the baseball world. Maddon has gone 781-729 as a manager overall and he was over .500 with the Rays in nine seasons. Maddon previously won manager of the year in 2008 and ESPN.com writes that the Dodgers and Mets are not considering Maddon, while the Cubs could be an option.
