Angels make significant coaching dismissal that could signal end of Kurt Suzuki

Mike Maddux is out as the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach. According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan, Maddux, along with assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti have all been fired. Tim Leveque has been named interim pitching coach and Michael Wuertz will take over the reins as the Halos' interim bullpen coach.

This is not a good sign for Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki, who like Maddux, is operating on a one-year contract. The first-year Angels' skipper was hired under former general manager Perry Minsasian, but with interim GM John Mozeliak now calling the shots, it would seem that Suzuki's time could be over sooner rather than later.

Kurt Suzuki is on thin ice after Angels fire Mike Maddux, two other coaches

Mozeliak released a statement shortly after reports of the firing emerged. He mentioned ongoing discussions with Suzuki as it relates to the coaching staff, and how the team plans to use the next seven weeks as an evaluation period for those who remain on the current staff.

Given the roster shakeup at last week's trade deadline, Angels fans can't be too surprised to learn of the coaching changes just over a week later. While some of the individual starters have shown tremendous growth during Maddux's first year in Anaheim, the team as whole has struggled.

The Angels rank 23rd in team ERA (4.51) and the bullpen has converted the fewest number of saves on the season (16). LA has blown 20 saves on the year and the 508 walks issued are the most in Major League Baseball. No matter how well Reid Detmers, Walbert Ureña, and until recently, José Soriano performed this season, those numbers are difficult to ignore.

Maddux and the other coaches are not the only reason the Angels' pitching staff has struggled this season. It can't be forgotten that Robert Stephenson was shelved before the season even began, and LA ran out a number of lesser options as the team's closer at the outset of the season. Grayson Rodriguez has only started 12 games this season, and at one point, the Angels were set to rely on Alek Manoah as one of the team's five starters.

Everyone — Suzuki included — is waiting to see who the Angels' next GM will be. While many assume Mozeliak will assume full-time duties in the near future, those plans have yet to be revealed. Regardless, it's likely that Mozeliak (or whoever takes over) will be looking for his own manager to lead the Halos into the future. That's bad news for Suzuki and the remainder of the coaching staff.

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