ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Los Angeles Angels made a shocking series of moves on Tuesday with the announcement that pitching coach Mike Maddux, bullpen coach Dom Chiti and ***** istant pitching coach Darryll Scott would all be parting ways with the team.
The dismissals were facilitated by interim general manager John Mozeliak, who has continued his aggressiveness in the front office after a trade deadline where he turned the Angels into sellers for the first time in a long time. Tim Leveque has been named interim pitching coach and Michael Wuertz was named interim bullpen coach to fill the voids left by the dismissals.
Mozeliak's moves were motivated by one main factor, that being that the Angels' pitching staff wasn't sufficiently using the technology and ***** ytical data available to them to try and improve performance or development.
Angels officially announce firing of Mike Maddux, Dom Chiti and Darryl Scott -- Tim Leveque (former Cardinals development coach and Rocket City PC) has been named Interim pitching coach, Michael Wuertz (long-time Angels pitching development coach) has been named bullpen coach
"Over the time of of talking with different staff members, different players and there was just this undercurrent of trying to get ourselves to be using all the different tools that you see a lot of pitchers use today... and just really try to leverage that in how we help players grow," Mozeliak said. "I think there was becoming some level of frustration with the inconsistency of that."

#Angels #pitching #interim #development

Los Angeles Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak explained why the Angels fired three of their pitching coaches Tuesday afternoon.
The Angels fired pitching coach Mike Maddux, bullpen Coach Dom Chiti and ****** istant pitching coach Darryl Scott on Tuesday, ending their one-year contracts a couple of months early. Mozeliak kept things vague in the statement he released following the decision.
"After spending time discussing with [manager Kurt Suzuki] where we are as a coaching staff and where we want to go in the future, we felt it was best to make a change," Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak said, per a statement from the Angels. "With seven weeks remaining, we plan to use this time to evaluate what additional steps are needed to elevate our entire pitching program and best positions for success moving forward."
Ahead of the Angels' second game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, though, Mozeliak revealed a key reason for their dismissal. Per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger, the coaches weren't sufficiently using the available technology.
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.

#Angels #coaches

The Los Angeles Angels cut ties with three coaches Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Pitching coach Mike Maddux, bullpen coach Dom Chiti and ****** istant pitching coach Darryl Scott were all fired with the team 24th in MLB in earned-run average (4.51), 30th in walks (508) and 25th in WHIP (1.38).
MORE: Former Angels pitcher, 33, still harbors comeback ambitions
"After spending time discussing with Kurt where we are as a coaching staff and where we want to go in the future, we felt it was best to make a change," interim Angels general manager John Mozeliak said in a press release. "With seven weeks remaining, we plan to use this time to evaluate what additional steps are needed to elevate our entire pitching program and best position us for success moving forward."
It's the second time Mozeliak has had Maddux as his pitching coach. The first stint ended after the 2022 season, when Maddux voluntarily left the St. Louis Cardinals, during Mozeliak's time as the Cardinals' head of baseball operations.

#coach #time #mozeliak #angeles

It was a dizzying day of activity, and when the smoke cleared after the Major League Baseball trade deadline, we learned who's actually serious about challenging the Los Angeles Dodgers, and which teams are the pretenders.
We found that Craig Breslow, president of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox, maybe isn't so **** -bent on **** ytics after all, showing his guts by trading away his prized prospects for Baltimore Orioles All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman.
We discovered that the Cleveland Guardians aren't going to just sit back and let the Chicago White Sox dream season continue without putting up a fight with their surprising show of aggressiveness, not only grabbing much-needed offensive help, but bolstering their rotation.
We now know that Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno has found his permanent GM by permitting John Mozeliak to make as many trades as he desired, overhauling the farm system in a matter of six hours.
And we learned that while the Dodgers may be that immovable force in their way of a World Series, it didn't stop A.J. Preller of the San Diego Padres from finding a way to fortify their rotation with two front-line starters without needing to trade away a piece of their prized bullpen.

#trade #found

Editor's note: Follow along for live rumors, trades and news during MLB's trade deadline day on Monday, Aug. 3.
In a deft bit of trade deadline buying and selling, the Toronto Blue Jays are acquiring right-hander Jose Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels for three prospects, less than a day after trading franchise stalwart Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs.
A baseball official with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed the Blue Jays are acquiring Soriano. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by ESPN, has not yet been announced.
In snagging the coveted Soriano, who has two years of club control beyond this one, the Blue Jays ensure their championship window remains pried open for the next two seasons. He also provides them a boost should their hopes of contending - they enter play Monday, Aug. 3 4 1/2 games out of a wild card spot - greatly appreciate in the season's final two months.
The cost was not insignificant: Top 100 shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Michelletti and right-hander Angel Rivero. It also signals the Angels are strongly pivoting to selling under new GM John Mozeliak.

#blue

The 2026 MLB draft came and went, with the Angels selecting 15 players among the 20 rounds. With interim general manager John Mozeliak now in charge, he allowed scouting director Tim McIlvaine more freedom in the draft.
As Mozeliak said when he was appointed interim GM, he wanted to focus on the draft and finding key players to help this ballclub's farm system and win in the future.
With the 12th overall pick, the Angels selected 17-year-old Jared Grindlinger out of Huntington Beach High School. This pick breaks the seven-year streak of the Halos selecting a college player with their first-round pick.
Grindlinger is a 6 '3, left-handed outfielder who batted .376 in 2026. He had an OPS of 1.000, combined with 22 RBI's, two home runs, two triples, and 10 doubles. While Grindlinger is an offensive threat and plays well in the outfield, he is also a decent left-handed pitcher. His versatility will certainly fit into the Halos' future.
To top it off, Grindlinger grew up an Angels fan. He's said that "it's been surreal," as he officially signed with the Halos and visited the stadium on July 18. It's no surprise to see the Angels go after Anaheim natives.

#grindlinger #players #future

Los Angeles Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak hasn’t shied away since taking the helm a couple of weeks ago, and insists he will do everything in his power to move this franchise in the right direction.
The Angels approach the All-Star break in a less-than-favorable position, currently sporting the worst record in MLB while some of their best players get looks from contending teams across the league. As the Aug. 3 deadline closes in, Mozeliak told the LA Times’ Bill Shaikin no player was untouchable.
So what about Mike Trout?
“That’s not happening,” Mozeliak said.
Trout has become the cornerstone of the Angels’ franchise throughout his 16-year MLB career. Trade rumors are ever-present around him—especially in a good year such as this one—yet the Angels remain uninterested.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Yet again, the Los Angeles Angels boast one of the greatest baseball talents of the generation, Mike Trout. Once again, that same Mike Trout finds himself limited due to injuries, even as he puts together his best season since 2022. Once again, the Angels failed to put together a team capable of winning significant games around Trout, and without him, they are downright terrible. And once again, despite finding themselves far out of playoff contention, their owner Arte Moreno seems disinclined to permit his front office to be true sellers, declaring Reid Detmers, José Soriano, and Jo Adell off-limits.
The only one thing different this year? The team fired general manager Perry Minasian last week, hiring John Mozeliak as the interim for the remainder of the season.
Should the Angels decide to do the smart thing and begin tearing everything down, they do have some pieces that may be of interest to teams throughout the league, including the Yankees. The pitching staff in particular is filled with quality names. A pair of young starters in Detmers and Soriano should be able to bring back sizeable prospect hauls if the front office was able to convince ownership to shop them around, as they are under team control for another two seasons. While Soriano gathered attention with his otherworldly start to the season, posting a 0.84 ERA through his first seven starts, it is Detmers who would be the more highly sought pitcher. His 2.9 fWAR ranks fourth among starters this season, and his metrics suggest that he is underperforming his 3.88 ERA. Soriano, meanwhile, has come down to earth after his meteoric rise, with a 5.34 ERA across his last 11 starts.
With the Angels’ interim general manager inexplicably believing that the team doesn’t need a rebuild, merely a small retool (perhaps influenced by ownership?), it’s much more likely that the team will be more inclined to trade from their bullpen depth. They may not exactly have an elite bullpen — they began the year with Jordan Romano as their closer, after all — there are some arms that may interest the Yankees. Veteran reliever Kirby Yates has rebounded nicely from a disastrous 2025 with the Dodgers, even if he hasn’t recaptured the magic of his 2024 season as the Rangers’ closer. With a 34.2 strikeout percentage that ranks 11th among relievers with at least 10 innings of work (he has pitched 17 innings this season), he would provide some swing-and-miss that the Yankees’ bullpen desperately needs.
On the offensive side, Los Angeles does not really match up with the Yankees. Zach Neto would give the team an offensive boost at the shortstop position, as he has a 114 wRC+ this season; defensively, though, he has taken a step back — instead of Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average disagreeing on his performance (he had 13 DRS and -8 OAA last year), both stats are very low on him this year (-2 DRS, -8 OAA). Jo Adell gives the Yankees something they do