Has John Mozeliak finally found the right lineup protection for Mike Trout? Is it just time for Mike to move away from center field? Anyway, is what the Angels are doing a true tanking strategy? Mason McGwire had a nice game at Tri-City on Saturday. The Angels selected the contract of left-hander Sammy Peralta. Shaun Anderson is on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
The post season schedule is out. At the time of this writing, the Angels are only 14 games out of the Wild Card.
Here comes another Field of Dreams game.
The Athletics designated Jonathan Ornelas for assignment. The Astros claimed Nelson Velazquez off waivers from the Cardinals. Giants catcher Daniel Susac has a fractured patella. Ouch!
The Braves released shortstop Jorge Mateo. Speaking of shortstops, remember Tim Anderson? He suddenly retired.
Right-handers
The Athletics signed Matt Sauer to a minor league deal. Right-hander Casey Lawrence opted out of his Mariners contract and was released. The Royals released Justin Topa. Michael Soroka is back from his glute injury. Shohei Ohtani has begun to play catch. The Cubs DFAd Jake Woodford to make room for Ryan Zeferjahn, he cleared waivers, and elected free agency. The Diamondbacks will designate Paul Sewald for assignment. Somehow Craig Kimbrel got another major league job. The Mariners claimed Nolan Kingham off waivers from the Rangers. The Marlins claimed Wikelman Gonzalez off waivers from the White Sox. The Blue Jays selected the contract of Simeon Woods Richardson. Nathan Eovaldi is on the injured list with right posterior elbow inflammation.
Left-handers
Chris Sale got himself ejected from a game before it even began. Jomboy has a little bit of video for us. The Dodgers selected the contract of Charlie Barnes.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Please don’t yell at me but I think the jury is still out on “technology.” Yes, spin rate and 100 mph are important but when you look at some teams and see their entire pitching staffs decimated with injuries that cost a year + – maybe – just like bunting, they might need to take a second look,
I also have my own skepticisms on its uses. But you don’t use it and the results don’t follow, it’s a hard argument to make.
This quote from Moz makes it sound like they think they may have something in Leveque and they want to give him a trial run
Moz wants coaches who will utilize modern day tech. I don’t understand how this can be construed as anything but a positive.
Moving away from the dinosaur era and operating like a modern baseball team ala Dodgers, Rays, Brewers, etc
Doesn’t seem like Kurt use analytics.
To me it just sounds like Maddox wasn’t gonna stick around, then stick around through a strike, then come back. They knew he’d be gone so they are bringing up kid coaches to go with kid pitchers
John Mozeliak said the primary reason to make the changes was because the pitching coaches weren’t sufficiently using the technology available.
He said the hitting coaches are.
Also said no more firings during the season.
https://x.com/i/status/2087287503682503081
He already said that when he fired Perry then he fired more people. If the hitting coaches are using the technology, then maybe we’re using the wrong technology. This sounds really bogus to me. There’s only 6 weeks left. This makes zero sense.
Interim GM John Mozeliak said the pitching coaches were dismissed after talking with staff and players. They weren’t using the technology given to them the way the organization/players wanted.
https://x.com/i/status/2087287999621161098
But no self reflection regarding Suzuki?
That’s a fair question.
Fwiw, I thought Maddux did a fine job and I understand Moz’s reasoning for letting him go.
I do as well, and I’m fine if he’s the boss and they were not doing what he wanted, even though it appeared his performance was at least adequate compared to the entire rest of the staff. I just don’t understand the timing or why you would leave the manager and the rest of the coaching staff in place who have visibly been awful. So if the players like the manager and the rest of the staff, even though they’re terrible, we should just stick with them. That’s like saying the kids don’t like their teacher so we’re getting rid of the teacher. Who care’s what Maddox was doing, unless it was immoral or illegal, if you’re going to fire everyone in 6 weeks anyway.
fk off
Don’t know what issues you have my friend but I hope for your sake you deal with them
Mike wasn’t calling for fastballs or changeups. He spent three innings trying to use the catcher’s wristpad to enter his Wi-Fi password.
“Look, nobody respects Mike’s 20 years of experience, his World Series ring, or his four Cy Young winners more than I do,” Mozeliak explained, adjusting his glasses. “But baseball has evolved. Today, I am proud to introduce our new pitching coach: PitchGPT 4.0.“
LOL
Ok well this is actually the first statement that gives me some pause. Who gives a shit what technology the staff is using if the garbage pile of players under their leadership has shown some improvement?
We’ve got new coaching uniforms. The new team will be able to tell us why we suck mathematically.
By the way – I’m kidding with all this. Let’s hope the plan works.
I’ve lost all confidence in what is going on. I trust no one at this point, including Moz, and thus far very little has been done to make the future look brighter. I believe Molly is competent at what she does, which is corporate finance and HR, and wants the team to win, I’m not sure she knows anything about baseball. I’m also not sure I can continue to root for the club if Suzuki remains the manager after this year.
Slowly back away from the ledge, RH. The deadline was a rousing success and we will have a revamped front office and entirely new coaching staff after this season.
I am in a wait and see mode now and I am less optimistic on what we accomplished at the trade deadline until I see results. I’m very perplexed and at least for now have reason to be skeptical of everything. That may change as time goes on but most of my hope was based on things I believed were likely to happen which I’m not so sure of anymore. I’ll need to see things actually happen before I give anyone the benefit of the doubt.
AI sourced, so take with salt. But makes me feel a little bit better.
Tim Leveque’s public track record as a pitching coach is limited at the Major League level, but the available reporting paints a fairly clear picture of how he’s viewed inside baseball: he’s considered a development‑focused, analytically fluent minor‑league pitching coordinator with a strong reputation for improving pitcher performance in the Cardinals system and, most recently, at Double‑A Rocket City.
What the record showsThe most detailed evaluation comes from Rocket City’s 2026 season, where Leveque served as pitching coach before being promoted to the Angels’ MLB staff:
Pretty clear Moz put his guy in charge. Nothing more to read into this
Success? Maybe.
I would describe it as a paradigm shift in organizational philosophy, which in and of itself may be a “success”.
Let’s see if we got this accurate. The pitching staff that is usually in the practice of issuing base on balls fires their pitching coach and his assistants to make the pitching staff even better. The story that we have read failed to mention that coaching and teaching from Arizona League up will hire even better coaching so that when the pitchers make majors, they can be fine turned by one of the better coaches in the game at teaching these fine points instead of working with kids that cannot find the plate. Why, because this will not happen. It seems that spin rates and hitting corners are more important and control not so much in drafting and trading. So now we blame the new guy that fine-tuned Soriano, Detmers and even the 3 relief pitchers that were tradeable. You now have who to go to to help your staff. 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. Believe in MO if you will, but it has taken another GM in StL to straighten the Cards out. Though he is better than PTP ever was but that was an easy task imho. This move comes at the wrong time and looks suspicious to me that egos are involved, not what is best for the team. Did Jolly give blessing to this? Is this move to keep us in 1st place in the tank? 🔎 🕵 🔫 Who did it, who did it? 👤 🔍
This could be the issue – and I totally get it. If you are trying to teach something organization wide – and it’s not happening at the MLB level – you have to make changes culturally. Now – the key is who is handling the development at the minor league level. MLB teams skimp so much on coordinators – pretty hard to get someone knowledgable enough in the minors. The teams that do it right – it shows. Minor league coordinators are simply not well paid. Being around coaches – there is a tremendous disparity in what the good ones do vs the average. The gap is huge. This is the challenge ahead of him.
It was colonel mustard in the conservatory with the candlestick.
Maybe Moz is getting “the ghost of Frank Lane” syndrome. Just getting attention for the Angels as they drift slowly into the West. Suzuki for ?????
https://throwbacks.substack.com/p/lets-trade-managers-1960
Tim Leveque was with Moz in St. Louis and they are close. This was weird how it all happened but I’m happy for a good guy and friend. Tim is really good.
Well, if Kurt says so.
Lmao. WWKD
Moz also worked with Maddux in St. Louis. I think everyone is overexaggerating the line about Suzuki. This was a Moz call
To me, this sounds like Moz is definitely sticking around. I can’t fathom why you make this change unless you are starting to get your coaching staff in place for the long haul.
Can’t believe Kurt is sticking around though, my goodness.
Every new piece of information we get signals Moz becoming POBO.
Weird series of events. The tank strengthens
Kurt is the tank commander but Moz is the tank general.
File this under the very thick file of Bizarre Angels Decisions.
My favorite was firing Daron Sutton half way through the season and everyone forgetting who he was like a week later. But I remember.
He made Trent Rush look like Vin Scully
And Trent Rush makes Patty O look like Vin Scully
Yep Arte, Maddox was the problem. (Heavy sigh).
Maddux probably had a sweetheart deal – but no guarantees. Need to save money with hot dog sales tanking.
This is how truly fucked (August) up the analysis is.
To fire all of these guys means the belief is that this 2-bit pitching staff is not pitching up to its potential. In other words that with better coaching these trash heap arms could somehow pitch better than they have been. I think that is poppycock and a complete overvaluation of this “talent”.
The team is hovering around 24th in team pitching. Given this group of crappy pitchers, I think that should be considered an over achievement.
I wonder if Arte had anything to do with this?
I doubt it regarding your last question. Don’t think Arte is evaluating pitching numbers of his ball club in August.
As Moz’s statement said, this came after a conversation with Kurt. This was a manager call.
Must have been an interesting conversation.
Kurt:”Can you find someone as dumb as me? Mike is smart and it intimidates me.”
Moz:”Someone as dumb as you? Well, no, but I can get rid of Mike if he has been telling you how dumb you are. BTW, do you read CtPG?”
Am I the only one that thinks there has to be more to the Maddux story?
Nope 🕵
It cannot be based on Maddux’s performance, which I think has been exceptional this year.
Does this mean Suzuki will be managing this team for more than one season?
I doubt he will be there in 2028 when baseball starts up again
I would say no way he’s back – but this is the Angels.
I’m not very helpful, but there was some offhand comment Moz made maybe 2 weeks ago that made me think they were going to keep him.
To the tune of “The Beat Goes On…” Sonny and Cher
Explaining the Maddux firing
The Tank goes on
The Tank goes on
La-di-da-di-di
La-di-da-di-da
Arte’s BS is pounding in your brain,
doin the same seems plainly quite insane,
sign has beens and broken down old vets,
enjoy the best seats while eating your croquettes,
…and the tank goes on
No idea why now. I understand keeping Suzuki for the season. Start fresh in 2027* rather than put the new manager into the dregs of a terrible season. Does that not hold for the pitching coach?
Where is the justification for this move. Kurt why are you making dumb decisions. Well Moz I was just doing what Maddux said. It’s his fault. Ok you’re not fired maddux is fired
I can’t believe that Moz said after talking with Suzuki he made the decision to fire maddux
Why the fuck does Suzuki have a say in firing maddux
That’s a really weird move. This team doesn’t have many strengths, but I would have thought starting pitching was one of them. The bullpen has been a disaster, but I blame Perry for that more than the pitching coaches considering every single bullpen acquisition is either DFA’d or traded.
I don’t think it really matters in the long run because the entire coaching staff is a goner, but this one at this time doesn’t make much sense to me.