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OC Register: Angels hope Joe Maddon’s recruiting – and a higher payroll – can lead to roster upgrade

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  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-01-JAG-1.jpg

    Angels General Manager Billy Eppler, left, and team owner Arte Moreno, right, introduce Manager Joe Maddon during a press conference at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-02-JAG-1.jpg

    Angels General Manager Billy Eppler, left, and team owner Arte Moreno, right, help new manager Joe Maddon don a jersey during a press conference at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-17-JAG-2.jpg

  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-04-JAG-1.jpg

    Angels Manager Joe Maddon address the media and Angels employees during a press conference introducing him at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-05-JAG-1.jpg

    Angels Manager Joe Maddon address the media and Angels employees during a press conference introducing him at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Angels Manager Joe Maddon points put General Manager Billy Eppler during a press conference introducing him at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-10-JAG-1.jpg

    Angels Manager Joe Maddon address the media and Angels employees during a press conference introducing him at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-11-JAG-1.jpg

    Past Angels player, including Rod Carew, center, Mike Witt and Jim Abbot, attend a press conference introducing Joe Maddon as the team’s new manager at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Angels manager Joe Maddon chats with Albert Pujols after a press conference at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Angels owner Arte Moreno after a press conference introducing Joe Maddon as the team’s new manager at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Angels Manager Joe Maddon does an interview with MLB Network after a press conference introducing him as the new team manager at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-08-JAG-1.jpg

    Angels Manager Joe Maddon chats with visitors to a press conference introducing him as the new team manager at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-12-JAG-1.jpg

    Angels Manager Joe Maddon does an interview with MLB Network after a press conference introducing him as the new team manager at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • LDN-L-ANGELS-1025-09-JAG-1.jpg

    Angels Manager Joe Maddon after a press conference introducing him as the new team manager at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Angels Manager Joe Maddon address the media and Angels employees during a press conference introducing him at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Angels Manager Joe Maddon address the media and Angels employees during a press conference introducing him at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    New Angels manager Joe Maddon speaks to the media during his introductory news conference on Thursday at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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    Angels Manager Jaye Maddon, left, wife of new Angels Manager, Joe Maddon, General Manager Billy Eppler and Angels owner Arte Moreno during a press conference introducing Joe Maddon as the team’s new manager at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Jaye Maddon applauds as her husband Joe Maddon is introduced as the new manager of the Angels during a press conference on Thursday at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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    Angels Manager Joe Maddon after a press conference introducing him as the new team manager at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, Oct 24, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    ANAHEIM, CA – OCTOBER 24: Joe Madden walks on to the field for a press conference to be introduced as the new manager of the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on October 24, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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    New Angels manager Joe Maddon takes more questions from the media after his introductory news conference on Thursday at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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    New Angels manager Joe Maddon takes more questions from the media after his introductory news conference on Thursday at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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    New Angels manager Joe Maddon does an interview with MLB Network following his introductory news conference on Thursday at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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ANAHEIM — Joe Maddon stood on a podium in the center of the diamond at Angel Stadium, in front of former and current Angels players, the media, a handful of team employees and sponsors, and dished out all of the optimism and good feelings you’d expect.

“I’m not going to sugar coat it or pussyfoot around it,” Maddon said during his introductory press conference on Thursday. “My goal is to be playing (in the playoffs). I don’t like watching this crap on TV right now. I don’t like it. It’s much more fun to be involved.”

As everyone knows, however, it will take more than Maddon’s folksy anecdotes or motivational stories to turn around a franchise coming off its worst season in two decades.

The Angels will need some better players, and on that point, owner Arte Moreno and Maddon gave Angels fans some tangible hope.

“Payroll will go up next year,” Moreno said. “I’m not going to say how much.”

Moreno didn’t say what inspired the increase in payroll, besides alluding to the team’s revenues and expenses allowing it.

Moreno added that: “Our target is to win another World Series. We need to get back on the winning train. The last few years have been tough.”

Moreno was frustrated by the Angels’ fourth straight losing season, so much so that he felt the Angels needed a new manager.

“If you’re not really performing at the level you need to be performing at, you make changes,” Moreno said.

Moreno had known Maddon since 2003 when he bought the team and Maddon was still a coach. They had kept in touch over the years, and Moreno said his first thought to hiring Maddon was a year ago after Mike Scioscia stepped down. Maddon, however, was not available until this year, when the Chicago Cubs did not renew his contract.

Maddon, 65, certainly could have had his choice of several jobs, but he said the Angels were his top choice.

“This was the place I wanted to be, and I let Arte know that,” Maddon said.

And Moreno let Maddon know that he and General Manager Billy Eppler had firm plans to upgrade the roster.

“Arte was very adamant about being all in regarding getting this whole thing done and trying to get the right people here,” Maddon said. “He’s always been that guy. Billy is really great to work with already. He’s wide open. He’s already thrown at me some things he’s envisioning. I’m waiting to hear about all that and if some of that stuff comes to fruition, I’ll be very happy.”

The Angels have maintained a payroll around $170 million to $180 million over the past few years. Last year they spent more than $34 million of that on free agents Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, Cody Allen, Justin Bour and Jonathan Lucroy.

“We spent about $35 million last year and really did not get the productivity that we should have had,” Moreno said.

The Angels currently have about $114 million committed to Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton and Zack Cozart. Their arbitration-eligible players and the pre-arbitration players figure to add about another $26 million, bringing the total to about $140 million.

The gap between that and whatever Moreno sets as the payroll is how much the Angels have to bring in help from outside.

Certainly, the Angels need at least a couple of starting pitchers. They are considered the industry favorite to land Orange County native Gerrit Cole, the Houston Astros ace who figures to command an average salary of $30 million or more.

The first step toward luring Cole or the other players the Angels want is having Maddon to recruit them.

“I think he could be pretty good,” Eppler said. “It seems like he’s pretty good in the room. When you have somebody with that kind of resume, and players start to understand what it’s like to play for that guy, his reputation’s really strong with the people I checked with in Tampa that have been able to play for him. People that played for him in Chicago. You don’t find people that have not flourished under him or thrived under him. I think that’s going to be beneficial for us as we head into the free agency process.”

Maddon was instrumental in helping the Cubs sign Jon Lester in the first winter after he was hired as the manager there.

Asked what makes him an effective recruiter, Maddon said: “Honesty. Just being honest. See if these guys really want to come here. Players talk. Players will talk to the guys I’ve had in the past and they will draw conclusions irregardless of anything else. They’ll draw their conclusions based on peer contact, and I’m wide open with that. The more peer contact guys have regarding what I’ve done in the past and how I’ve interacted with them, I’ll take it.”

Maddon, of course, built his reputation while managing two franchises to successful turnarounds. The Tampa Bay Rays had never even had a winning season before Maddon arrived, and he led them to the World Series. The Cubs had not won a World Series in 108 years before Maddon led them to the 2016 title.

Maddon seemingly had an amicable parting with the Cubs after their disappointing finish this season. He said he wishes nothing but the best for that franchise.

In fact, he hopes they make the World Series.

“My ultimate pipe dream is that we play them in the World Series,” he said, “and beat them.”

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