Angels hire Joe Maddon as Ron Washington exits dugout

The Los Angeles Angels announced Tuesday that Ron Washington will not return for a third season as manager. Washington missed roughly half the current season to undergo quadruple bypass heart surgery. He finished his tenure with a 99-137 record over two seasons. The team finished last in the American League West with a 72-90 record this year. Ray Montgomery, the bench coach who stepped up in late June, will not receive the full-time managerial job. Washington remains popular with players and fans despite the club’s ten consecutive losing seasons and eleven straight seasons without a postseason appearance. How will the organization fill the void left by such a popular figure? Washington led the Texas Rangers to two World Series and three playoff appearances from 2007 to 2014. He posted five straight winning seasons in Texas. During his time with the Angels, he experienced shortness of breath and fatigue during a series against the New York Yankees in June. General manager Perry Minasian stated the decision to move on resulted from team performance rather than Washington’s health. The franchise has endured the longest active streaks in the majors for consecutive losing seasons and consecutive non-playoff seasons. Minasian, who manages the club through next season, has overseen six losing seasons.

Joe Maddon accepts the comeback

Joe Maddon signed a three-year, $12 million contract to return to the Angels. He spent 31 years in the organization as a player and coach before managing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006. Maddon, who spent 31 years in the organization as a player and coach, wants to reestablish the aggressive identity the team held during his time as bench coach under Mike Scioscia. He expressed a desire to participate in the postseason rather than watch it on television. The club expects his experience combining analytics with old-school sensibilities to help the team improve. Maddon won three Manager of the Year awards and led the Chicago Cubs to a 2016 World Series title. He wants to bring an exciting brand of baseball to the fans in Anaheim.

Maddon, aged 65, aims to improve the roster to compete in the American League West. He previously served as a bench coach for the 2002 World Series championship team and spent three decades in professional baseball within the organization. Maddon’s success includes leading the Tampa Bay Rays to an American League pennant in 2008. You probably remember his ability to build winning cultures despite low-budget rosters. The team expects his arrival to help a young core including shortstop Zach Neto, catcher Logan O’Hoppe, outfielder Jo Adell, and first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Maddon inherits a lineup featuring Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. The club paid $38.5 million this season to Rendon, who missed all of 2025 due to a hip injury. The team hopes for better pitching.

New rules for ball and strike challenges

Major League Baseball will implement a new challenge system for balls and strikes starting in 2026. The system allows the pitcher, catcher, or batter to request a review of a call immediately. Each team receives two challenges to start every game. If a player gets a challenge wrong, the team loses one. If the player gets it right, the team keeps that challenge for later use.

In spring training testing, players overturned calls more than half the time. If the player gets it right, the team keeps that challenge for later use. The rules forbid any dugout sign for a review. During the testing phase, some players used challenges for fun, but the rules require precision in regular games. The system underwent testing during this year’s All-Star game. In one instance, a computerized replay showed the pitch as a strike after an umpire called a ball. Managers such as Aaron Boone expect players to be more buttoned up when the rules apply to games that count to ensure they can overturn impactful calls.