Los Angeles Angels

Eric Kay, director of communications for the Los Angeles Angels, reportedly told investigators two team officials knew about Tyler Skaggs' drug use before his death July 1.

Per ESPN's T.J. Quinn, Kay first mentioned Skaggs' use of opioids to Tim Mead, former Angels vice president of communications, in 2017. He also said a second, unnamed Angels official knew.

Angels president John Carpino issued a statement in response to Quinn's report:

"We have never heard that any employee was providing illegal narcotics to any player, or that any player was seeking illegal narcotics. The Angels maintain a strict, zero tolerance policy regarding the illicit use of drugs for both players and staff. Every one of our players must also abide by the MLB Joint Drug Agreement. We continue to mourn the loss of Tyler and fully cooperate with the authorities as they continue their investigation."

Kay reportedly told federal investigators he provided Skaggs with oxycodone, and Quinn reported the two of them "abused it ... for years."

Mead told Outside the Lines he was unaware Skaggs used opioids. He also said Skaggs was not named in an April conversation he had with Kay's mother, Sandy, who told Quinn she saw text messages between Skaggs and Kay and that she told Mead the Angels had to get Skaggs "off [Kay's] back."

Skaggs' autopsy results, released by the Tarrant County medical examiner's office Aug. 30, showed a mix of fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol. His death was ruled to be the result of "terminal aspiration of gastric contents."

The Skaggs family issued a statement about the autopsy results:

"We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol. That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League Baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much.

"We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler's death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us."

Hardin told Quinn the family "appreciate[s] the work that law enforcement is doing, and they are patiently awaiting the results of the investigation."

MLB rules state if a team official is made aware of a player's drug abuse, it must be reported to the commissioner's office. An MLB spokesman told Quinn the Angels never made such a report.

Skaggs, 27, was found dead in a room at a Texas hotel where the Angels were staying for a series against the Rangers. He pitched seven MLB seasons with the Angels and Arizona Diamondbacks.

It's reportedly a matter of when and not if Joe Maddon will become the next manager of the Los Angeles Angels.

According to Scott Miller of Bleacher Report, the Angels are expected to announce the former Chicago Cubs manager as their choice "as soon as a day or two after his interview this week."

Los Angeles last Monday elected to move on from Brad Ausmus after just one season, perhaps in part because Maddon was available. Maddon spent the past five seasons with the Cubs, leading them to the playoffs four times and winning the 2016 World Series.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and The Athletic reported Sunday that Maddon views the Angels—with whom he spent 31 years before he became the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006—as his "No. 1 choice."

Los Angeles is in need of a boost after finishing 72-90 and missing the playoffs yet again. It hasn't been to the postseason since 2014 and would surely love a stretch like the one Chicago enjoyed under Maddon.

The three-time Manager of the Year also led the Cubs to the National League Championship Series in 2015 and 2017 and playoffs in 2018. The 2016 championship snapped a franchise drought that dated to 1908 and secured Maddon's position as the manager who ended one of the most infamous streaks in sports history.

He was successful beyond his time in Chicago, leading the Rays to their only World Series appearance in 2008 and three other postseason showings in his nine seasons at the helm.

The Angels have talent with Mike Trout leading the way, and they will apparently have one of the best-known managers in the game calling the shots next year.

If former Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon has his way, he will spend the 2020 season in the Los Angeles Angels dugout.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Fox Sports, Maddon views the Angels as his "No. 1 choice." Rosenthal noted Maddon was a member of the Angels staff for 31 years before he became the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006.

The Los Angeles position is only open because it fired Brad Ausmus after one season. Maddon was with the Cubs the past five seasons, but he and the organization parted ways following the 2019 campaign.

It's not often someone with a resume like Maddon's is available for a rebuilding team like the Angels.

The three-time Manager of the Year directed a turnaround in Chicago for a team that was coming off six straight seasons without a playoff appearance. It reached the National League Championship Series in his first year, won the World Series in his second, reached the NLCS in his third and made the playoffs in his fourth.

It was also a solid 84-78 in 2019 despite missing the postseason.

In addition to leading the Cubs to a World Series title for the first time since 1908, Maddon's Rays made the Fall Classic for their only time in franchise history in 2008.

Los Angeles was just 72-90 during the 2019 season and hasn't made the playoffs since the 2014 campaign. Maddon is familiar with the organization, reportedly wants to be there and has a history of quickly turning around struggling franchises.

Former Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon may not have to wait long for his next job.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Los Angeles Angels are interested in Maddon for the now-vacant manager position after they announced Brad Ausmus wouldn't return following just one season on Monday.

This comes after Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and Maddon announced they were parting ways Sunday.

The Angels were just 72-90 in Ausmus' only season with the team and haven't made the playoffs since 2014, but Maddon proved he can lead an immediate turnaround with the Cubs.

Chicago was coming off six straight playoffless seasons when he took the helm in 2015. The club proceeded to reach the National League Championship Series in his first year, win the World Series in his second year, reach the NLCS again in his third year and make the playoffs in his fourth year. The 65-year-old left the Cubs after an 84-78 record in his fifth season.

Maddon helped snap a championship drought that dated back to 1908 and made the typically downtrodden franchise into an annual contender.

That is exactly what the Angels are looking for, and there is already a familiarity in place when it comes to Maddon and the franchise. Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times noted he was a coach and interim manager for the Angels for 31 years prior to taking the manager position with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006.

Los Angeles is looking for just its second championship since its inaugural year in 1961, and it is apparently eyeing someone who is quite familiar with bringing glory to a team in a title slump.

The Los Angeles Angels have fired Brad Ausmus after a disappointing first year with the organization.    

Buster Olney of ESPN first reported the move on Monday.

Ausmus replaced longtime manager Mike Scioscia, who retired after 19 seasons with the club with a tenure that included a World Series title and six division titles. Things didn't go quite as smoothly for the new skipper as the Angels finished 2019 with a 72-90 record, the team's worst since 1999, before Scioscia took over.

Despite having a bonafide superstar in Mike Trout and exciting players like Shohei Ohtani and Tommy La Stella, the Angels ended the year 35 games out of first place and 24 games away from a playoff spot.

The struggles led to questions about Ausmus' future with the team, with Olney first reporting that leadership was contemplating his job status going forward. He noted it was "more likely than not" the squad would go in another direction for next year.

These rumors didn't seem to bother the 50-year-old at the time.  

"To be honest with you, I've kind of learned to shrug those things off," Ausmus said on the final day of the season, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. "There was a point in Detroit in 2015, my second year there, it came out that I was being fired. I was there for two more years. So you learn to take it with a grain of salt. Most of the decisions are not under my control. So I don't worry too much about it."

The speculation turned out to be true as Ausmus is once again out of a job.

The former All-Star catcher had spent four years as manager of the Detroit Tigers, but his contract was not renewed in 2017 after posting a 314-332 record overall.

Los Angeles will now be on the hunt for a new manager, with former Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon considered a possibility, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Los Angeles Angels manager Brad Ausmus' tenure with the team could be coming to an end after just one season.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Ausmus is "in jeopardy of losing his job" and being evaluated by the team's leadership. Olney cited a source who thinks it is more likely Ausmus is fired than still the manager in 2020.

The Angels were just 72-90 in Ausmus' first season at the helm, but he wasn't given much time to turn around a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2014.

If Ausmus were to be fired, he at least has other managerial experience to fall back on as he looks for his next stop. He was the manager of the Detroit Tigers from 2014 through 2017 and finished with a 314-332 record and one playoff appearance.

"I've kind of learned to shrug those things off," Ausmus said when discussing the chance he may lose his job after just one year, per Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times. "There was a point in Detroit in 2015, my second year there, it came out that I was being fired. I was there for two more years. So you learn to take it with a grain of salt."

The timing of Olney's report is notable because Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and manager Joe Maddon announced they were parting ways following the 2019 campaign.

Torres noted "speculation that Ausmus was on his way out began as soon" as it was clear Maddon wouldn't be returning to his position with the Cubs after leading them to the playoffs in four of the last five years.

Maddon was on Los Angeles' staff for 31 years prior to becoming the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006, so there is a familiarity in place with the franchise.

The opportunity for the Angels to hire one of the biggest names in baseball could mean the end of Ausmus' time with the team before he could accelerate the rebuild.

It doesn't get much more consistent than Albert Pujols.

The Los Angeles Angels slugger flew out in the first inning of Wednesday's game against the New York Yankees, which brought his career batting average to .299. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it marks the first time Pujols has featured a career batting average below .300 since he started his rookie campaign in 2001 at 4-for-14 (.286).

His batting average is so high because of his 11 years with the St. Louis Cardinals and not his eight years with the Angels.

It was above .300 every year but his last (2011) in St. Louis, and even then it was at .299. However, he has never finished a season on the Angels with a batting average above .285, and he is hitting .249 this season. It would mark his third straight year with a batting average below .250.

While his production has dipped with the Angels, one look at his resume proves he is still one of the best hitters in major league history.

Pujols is a two-time World Series champion, three-time National League MVP, 10-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, six-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glove winner who also won the batting title in 2003 with a head-turning .359 average.

The Angels are not playoff contenders as the 2019 season winds down, but Pujols is still playing for something. If he plays well down the stretch, he can get his career batting average back above the .300 mark.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has launched an investigation to determine where Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs acquired the drugs that were in his system when he died, according to ESPN's T.J. Quinn.

Skaggs' body was found July 1 at a Hilton hotel in Southlake, Texas. An autopsy determined he choked on his vomit, with fentanyl, oxycodone and oxymorphone showing up in his toxicology report.

Quinn reported fentanyl in particular "drew the attention of federal investigators."

Skaggs' family released a statement in August saying the Southlake Police Department was looking into an unnamed member of the Angels organization as it investigated his death, per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

"We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels," they said. "We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us."

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said the team was cooperating with authorities as part of the investigation.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported earlier this month MLB and the MLB Players Association opened a dialogue regarding random drug testing for opioids. He noted it's unclear when the two sides would agree to a firm plan but that they planned to continue negotiations into the offseason.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout's season has come to an early end due to lingering problems with his foot. 

Per the Angels communications department, Trout still felt pain in his right foot during on-field tests prior to Sunday's game. He's going to have surgery to remove the Morton's neuroma in his right foot this week. 

MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger added that Trout's season is over. 

Trout had a minor procedure on his foot Monday to help with pain he was dealing with due to a nerve issue. He was originally considered day-to-day but hasn't been in the Angels lineup since Sept. 7. 

In his eighth full MLB season, Trout is once again putting up MVP-caliber numbers. He will finish 2019 with a .291/.438/.645 slash line, 45 homers, 104 RBI and 110 runs scored in 134 games. 

Despite Trout's best efforts, the Angels enter Sunday fourth in the American League West with a 67-82 record.

Trout has avoided major injuries throughout his career, missing more than 30 games just once. By ending his season now, the Angels are allowing their superstar to get back to full strength in time for spring training next February. 

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani's season has come to an early end due to a knee injury. 

The team announced Ohtani will undergo surgery Friday for a bipartite patella in his left knee. The general timetable for full recovery is eight to 12 weeks. 

Ohtani won the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year with a .285/.361/.564 slash line along with 22 home runs and 61 RBI. He also posted a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts, but he's been used exclusively as a position player in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery last October.

In 106 games this season, Ohtani has been solid with a .286/.343/.505 slash line and 18 homers. Only Mike Trout's .645 slugging percentage is higher than the Japanese star among Angels players. 

The Angels' decision to have Ohtani undergo surgery now comes two days after they were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Trout missed their three-game series this week against the Cleveland Indians after having a procedure to address a nerve issue in his foot.

If Ohtani's recovery follows the expected timetable, he would be back to 100 percent no later than mid-December. That will put him on track to be ready for spring training next February.