Joe Maddon looks to blend philosophies to establish Angels' identity

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Joe Maddon was an outsider when Tyler Skaggs died unexpectedly on July 1. He only read about the nasty fallout, which thrust the Los Angeles Angels into the middle of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Maddon never asked about any of it during the interview process. It never came up, he said. But now, as the new manager in the midst of what is arguably the darkest time in this franchise's history, he hopes to help.

"This is an insidious situation that permeates our entire population, not just here," Maddon said, alluding to the opioid crisis afflicting this country. "If there's any way I can be helpful in that, I'm more than happy to be utilized."

Maddon was introduced on a makeshift stage in front of the pitcher's mound at Angel Stadium on Thursday afternoon. He provided a 20-minute opening statement in front of several Angels luminaries who knew him from his prior stint with the organization, which spanned from 1976 to 2005. Maddon shared stories about interactions with the likes of Mark Langston and Jim Abbott and Garret Anderson, spoke wistfully about his humble beginnings as a scout and preached about the importance of striking a proper balance between "data versus art."

"In today's game, everyone is working off the same sheet of music," Maddon said. "I think there's a reason why fans have been turned off a bit by our game. That's because the game looks the same no matter where you go. I want to reestablish our own identity here."

The Angels have suffered through four consecutive losing seasons and have not won a playoff game in 10 years. They have employed the game's best player, Mike Trout, for each of the past eight seasons and have only one postseason appearance to show for it. Brad Ausmus was fired after only one season as the team's manager, a decision owner Arte Moreno said he had been pondering for "a while."

"You really get caught a little bit in the whole analytical part of the game," Moreno said. "To me, you need to be in the fun part of the game."

Under Maddon, the Angels believe, fun will resume. Maddon declared, proudly, that the Angels are "gonna bunt this year." He talked about making key former Angels players feel more involved with the organization and harped on the importance of juggling new-age advances with old-school mantras.

"You should never ever disassociate one or the other," Maddon said. "To just be all analytically inclined or heartbeat inclined, you are going to lose; you are not going to be the best version of yourself."

Maddon's first 19 years with the Angels were spent in the minor leagues, as a catcher, a scout, a manager and a roving hitting instructor. He later joined the major league staff, serving as a bullpen coach, first-base coach, bench coach and, on two occasions, interim manager. When Mike Scioscia was hired for the 2000 season, Maddon found stability, serving as Scioscia's bench coach for six seasons, including the World Series-winning campaign in 2002.

It led Maddon to the Tampa Bay Rays, for a highly successful nine-year run that saw the franchise reach the World Series for the first time. From there, Maddon joined Theo Epstein on the Chicago Cubs, leading them to their first championship in 108 years. His stint in Chicago ended 24 days ago, on the final day of his fifth season. But Maddon spoke fondly of his time there and lauded the decision to hire former catcher David Ross as his replacement.

"He's going to be perfect in that situation," Maddon said. "David and I remain very close. He's actually scheduled to do an event for me in December in Pennsylvania. He better not back out. David is wonderful. Everything you've read about him, that's who he is. He's a great leader. He's straightforward. He's blunt, but in a good way. And as we've talked about, he really understands pitching. So, he's a perfect choice."

Maddon revealed what he described as his "pipe dream" -- for the Angels to beat the Cubs in an upcoming World Series.

To do that, the Angels need starting pitching -- lots of it. Shohei Ohtani will return to a two-way role in 2020, but the Angels need at least two starters, preferably for the top of their rotation, and will probably have to venture into the free-agent market to get them. Gerrit Cole, the local product who spoke fondly from the World Series about following the Angels as a kid, will be a prime target.

"Payroll will go up next year," said Moreno, who has kept the opening-day payroll at an average of about $164 million the past four years. "I'm not gonna tell you how much."

Maddon, 65, signed a three-year, $12 million contract, but said he intends to manage the Angels beyond that. His general manager, Billy Eppler, is signed only through next season after Moreno opted merely to pick up the 2020 option on his contract. The decision to hire Maddon seemed to undercut Eppler, who previously handpicked Ausmus as Scioscia's successor. But Eppler said they "feed well off each other," and Maddon said he would "like to work with [Eppler] for five-plus years."

Above Maddon and Eppler, Angels brass is bracing for the potential ripple effects of a DEA investigation into Skaggs' opioid use. A public-relations employee, Eric Kay, who has been placed on paid leave while in outpatient treatment for substance abuse, told federal investigators that he provided oxycodone to Skaggs and abused it with him for years, as first reported by ESPN's Outside The Lines.

Kay also told DEA agents that two other Angels employees knew about Skaggs' opioid use, including Tim Mead, the longtime senior vice president of communications who is now president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mead has denied those claims.With regard to Skaggs' opioid use, Moreno said the organization informed Major League Baseball, and other proper authorities, about Kay's involvement at around the time ESPN's story came out Oct. 12.

The Angels also interviewed Buck Showalter, John Farrell and Johnny Washington for their managerial opening, but Maddon was considered the heavy favorite from the onset. Given his history, his charisma and his track record, Moreno believes he is the right person to steer the organization through a volatile time.

Maddon, a three-time Manager of the Year, just wants to win.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it or pussyfoot around it -- my goal is to be playing [in October]," he said. "I don't like watching this crap on TV right now. I don't like it. It's much more fun to be involved, much more fun to be under the scrutiny, much more fun to be second-guessed than to not. Never permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure of the moment, ever. When you arrive at that point, that's when you can really do some special things. That's what I'm really going to preach this year."