Joe Maddon's Claims About Lineup Decisions an Attempt to 'Sell Books,' Angels GM Says

Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian is firing back at former manager Joe Maddon after he claimed the GM tried to influence lineup decisions.

While speaking to reporters Thursday, Minasian dismissed Maddon's assertion as a ploy to drive sales for his upcoming book:

Maddon was fired during a 12-game losing streak this season. He recently released an excerpt from the book he co-wrote with Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci called, The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball and Life, and he detailed an instance in which Minasian called down to the dugout midgame and directed him to remove Mike Trout from the lineup.

Maddon was not happy with Minasian's actions, believing he broke a "sacred code."

"Listen, don’t you ever f--king call down to the dugout again!" Maddon told Minasian the next day. He was fired less than a month later.

The Angels finished third in the AL West with a 73-89 record this season and failed to make the playoffs for the eighth straight year.