Joe Maddon out as Los Angeles Angels manager as losing streak hits 12 games

If it was strictly up to Angels GM Perry Minasian, manager Joe Maddon might have been fired during the winter with Buck Showalter replacing him.

The Angels instead decided to wait, giving Maddon one more chance to turn around the Angels’ fate.

It never happened.

Their 12-game losing streak took care of that, and Tuesday, Maddon was fired by the Angels and replaced on an interim basis by third base coach Phil Nevin.

Maddon was optimistic early Tuesday morning that the Angels could still turn things around in a text message to USA TODAY Sports.

“Working on positive vibes and fundamentals,’’ he said. “The guys aren’t happy, but are together.’’

Well, the Angels front office was furious and, after getting approval from owner Arte Moreno, made the move to fire Maddon, who had lost some key support in the clubhouse.

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Maddon, in the final year of a three-year, $12 million contract, had a $4 million option or $1 million buyout in 2023. He was hopeful the Angels would give him a contract extension this spring.The Angels refused, believing all along they would fire him if they failed to make the playoffs.

As their losing streak extended to a franchise record-tying 12 games, the Angels simply didn’t believe they could reach the postseason with Maddon at the helm.

They made the move now with a record of 27-29 -- 8½ games behind the division-leading Houston Astros, but just 1½ games out of the final AL wild-card spot.

“I understand if you’re an Angels fan, nobody’s happy,” Maddon said Monday. “But it’s early enough in here to do something different about this, and we intend to.”

Well, the Angels’ front office listened, and decided to do something different themselves.

Really, it shouldn’t have come as any surprise. Maddon was never Minasian’s guy, he simply inherited him.

Then again, he wasn’t former GM Billy Eppler’s guy, either.

Eppler wanted to hire Showalter as manager when Brad Ausmus was fired, but he was overruled by Moreno.

Now, Minasian has a man who should have been hired years ago as manager in Nevin. He was the choice of Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart to replace Chip Hale with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but they were overruled by ownership, too.

This is a team that reached the postseason just once since Mike Trout’s arrival, and were built to win this year. Yet, after sitting at 24-13 just two weeks ago, they have collapsed, matching their franchise-record losing streak set in 1988.

This was the second firing of a veteran manager in a week, with Joe Girardi dumped by the Philadelphia Phillies and replaced by interim Rob Thomson.

Ironically, Maddon was a candidate for the Phillies job when they hired Girardi, but pulled himself out of the running, interviewing only with the Angels after the Chicago Cubs cut ties with him.

He ends his tenure in Anaheim with an overall record of 157-172 (.477) in parts of five seasons with the Angels, including two interim stints in 1996 and 1999.

Follow Nightengale on Twitter @BNightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Maddon fired as Los Angeles Angels manager