Joe Maddon discusses potential return to dugout

Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Maddon: 'If (teams) only want middle managers, I'm not going to fit anymore'

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 9/6/22

The Los Angeles Angels have yet again been one of the biggest disappointments in baseball in 2022. Entering Tuesday with a 59-76 record, the Halos are all but eliminated from postseason contention and are bound to finish with a sub-.500 mark.

The brutal campaign in Los Angeles included the dismissal of manager Joe Maddon in June, and the 68-year-old recently addressed the potential of him returning to a MLB dugout.

"If (teams) only want middle managers, I'm not going to fit anymore."

Check out this excerpt from the incredible conversation @dougglanville and I had with Joe Maddon on the new Starkville.

Then listen to the whole pod! This was much more nuanced than the hot takes I've seen. https://t.co/AevmkKdXOK pic.twitter.com/POjSl9HTda
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) September 6, 2022

In August, when discussing the Angels' continued struggles since his firing, Maddon said that the team can't keep focusing on "bright, shiny objects."

"The infrastructure needs to be improved," the three-time Manager of the Year said at the time. "There's a lot of things that need to be improved there. These guys can't do it alone, obviously. It's the non-sexy stuff that has to get better. It's not just bright, shiny objects -- they have that."

That interview with Maddon came just a few days before owner Arte Moreno announced that he was exploring a sale of the franchise. Moreno purchased the team in 2003, just one year after they won their only pennant and World Series title.

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