MLB rumors: 3 teams that could hire Joe Maddon next season

Here are three teams that could hire Joe Maddon to be their next manager.

In a surprising move, the Los Angeles Angels fired manager Joe Maddon after he had been their manager for over two years.

After he was fired, Maddon, 68, spoke with The Athletic (subscription required) and he said that he still wants to manage in the majors.

“Of course I want to manage,” Maddon said. “I’m really good at it.”

Since he still wants to manage and has had success at managing with the Rays and Cubs before, there will be some teams that will be eager to hire him. Here are the three teams that are most likely to hire him.

The Philadelphia Phillies could hire Joe Maddon

The Philadelphia Phillies just fired manager Joe Girardi last week, so they will need a full-time manager this offseason.

They could turn to interim manager Rob Thomson or a few other possible options, but Maddon makes a lot of sense for them.

Maddon is from West Hazelton, Pa., which is about 100 miles away from Citizens Bank Park. The proximity to his hometown means this would be somewhat of a homecoming for Maddon.

Additionally, the Phillies general manager is Sam Fuld. He has prior experience with Maddon, as Fuld was a player on the Rays from 2011 through 2013 when Maddon was their manager.

The Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals have been a team that has gone through a lot of managers since they came to Washington, D.C. in 2005. Including interim managers, they have had eight different managers in that timespan.

Current manager Dave Martínez has been the only manager that has lasted more than three full seasons with the Nationals in D.C., and his time could now be running out. He led the Nationals to a World Series title in 2019, but since then, the Nationals have finished in last place in the NL East. They are well on their way to doing that again this season with a 21-36 record entering Wednesday, four games back of fourth place, and 16.5 games back of first place.

Coincidentally, Martínez was the bench coach for Maddon in Tampa Bay and Chicago before becoming the Nationals manager.

The Chicago White Sox

Joe Maddon is familiar with the city of Chicago, and the White Sox have been a big disappointment under Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa this season (26-27 record) after they were widely projected to be the AL Central division winner.

Maddon wouldn’t be a “young” manager by any stretch, but he would be nearly a decade younger than La Russa and would be able to relate to players more than La Russa.

La Russa has had a few missteps since returning to managing, including attempting to teach Yermín Mercedes the unwritten rules of baseball, pleading guilty to a reckless driving charge after he was named manager, and not knowing the extra-inning baserunner rule in 2021.

La Russa, who turns 78 in October, signed a “multi-year” contract when he became their manager last season, but we don’t know the exact length — perhaps this could be his final season.