The Los Angeles Angels announced on Monday that manager Brad Ausmus had been fired.

Ausmus was hired in October 2018 and held the job for just one season.

The most obvious reason the Angels likely fired Ausmus, who came to Los Angeles following a four-year stint managing the Detroit Tigers, is that the team once again missed the playoffs and failed to be a factor in a pennant race. Despite boasting Mike Trout, the literal best player on the planet, the team finished a disappointing 4th in the American League West with a 72-90 record.

Ausmus, of course, had nothing to do with putting that team together, and only worked with what he was given. So while the team’s failure may have been a factor in Ausmus’ firing, the sudden availability of Joe Maddon may have had something to do with it. The Chicago Cubs announced that they opted not to renew or extend Maddon’s managerial contract on Sunday, making Maddon a very desirable candidate. Maddon worked for the Angels for 30 years before he was hired by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2007, and still has a house in Long Beach.

If the Angels do hire Maddon, Ausmus would be the second manager fired after a single season to make way for Maddon. In October 2014 the Cubs fired Rick Renteria after just one season and then hired Maddon, who had just opted out of his contract with the Rays.

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