A week after the Texas Rangers announced they were parting ways with their longtime pitching coach Mike Maddux, the veteran with tons of skins on the wall is joining the Washington Nationals under new manager Dusty Baker.
Maddux was on staff with the Rangers for seven years and turned the Texas pitching staff from a league-wide laughing stock to a formidable pitching staff with one of the best staff ERAs in baseball on an annual basis.
Maddux was asked to return by the Rangers after their season ended, but he was given a negotiation window to talk to other teams. When it came time to make a decision, Maddux said he needed a little more time to weigh his options, and at that point the Rangers parted ways.
Now Maddux joins veteran skipper Dusty Baker as they try to get the Nationals back to where their lofty expectations have been every year over the last few. They failed to make the playoffs in 2015 after they were the preseason World Series favorites, and Maddux will inherit a staff that features Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.
