Angels Make Sweeping Changes to Coaching Staff, Fire Mike Maddux, Darryl Scott, More

The Los Angeles Angels announced Tuesday that the organization has fired pitching coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti.

The Angels also announced that Tim Leveque will take over as interim pitching coach and Michael Wuertz will be the interim bullpen coach.

The moves don't come as a major surprise, though perhaps the midseason timing of them does. The Angels have a team ERA of 4.51 (24th in MLB), a team WHIP of 1.38 (25th), have only had 34 quality starts from the rotation (24th) and have managed 16 saves on the season (30th), spread out across seven different relievers.

The Angels also cleaned house ahead of the trade deadline, dealing away relievers Brent Suter, Ryan Zeferjahn and Kirby Yates alongside outfielder Jo Adell and starting pitcher José Soriano (most of them learned of those moves during a team outing to Mike Trout's golf course).

The organization has resisted a full fire sale in recent years despite an 11-year playoff drought—soon to be 12 years—that wasted the prime years of Trout and former Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani. It appears that 2026 was finally the end of that approach (even if Trout still, somewhat surprisingly, remains in Los Angeles).

It was time for that philosophical shift. In a year when the AL West is wide open—the Houston Astros currently sit atop the division with a 61-59 record—the Angels are just 45-74, 15.5 games back of first. If you aren't going to be good, restock the farm system. And apparently, rethink the pitching arm of your coaching staff.