Holy crap! I didn't see that one coming! 
Maddon opts out of contract, leaves TB Rays
Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon has exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and is leaving the team immediately.
Many will assume Joe Maddon's next stop will be Los Angeles with the Dodgers, but don't be surprised if the Cubs take a run at him, writes ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden. Story
"We tried diligently and aggressively to sign Joe to a third contract extension prior to his decision," Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement Friday. "As of yesterday afternoon, Joe enabled himself to explore opportunities throughout Major League Baseball. He will not be managing the Rays in 2015."
In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Maddon said his decision to leave the club was a combination of financial issues and curiosity over what opportunities will present themselves. Maddon said there was discussion with the Rays on a new contract but "we were still too far apart."
"I have been doing this for a long time," Maddon told the newspaper. "I have never had this opportunity to research my employment on my terms. Never, never, never. And I think anybody given the same set of circumstances would do the same thing."
He said the difficulty in making the decision was "gut wrenching, almost feeling sick."
Joe Maddon brought much success to a Rays organization that didn't have a lot to cheer about prior to his arrival in 2005. The Rays made postseason appearances four times under Maddon, compared to zero appearances under the team's previous eight managers.
Maddon's departure comes 10 days after Andrew Friedman, the Rays' executive vice president, joined the Dodgers as their president of baseball operations. Friedman issued a statement later Friday saying Don Mattingly, who in January signed a three-year contract extension through 2016, remains his field boss.
"As I said last week, Joe and I enjoyed a tremendous relationship working together in Tampa Bay and I wish him nothing but the best wherever his next stop will be. However," Friedman said, "nothing has changed on our end. Don Mattingly will be our manager next season and hopefully for a long time to come."
Tampa Bay was 77-85 this season -- the first year since 2009 that the Rays did not win 90 games. Among active managers, though, Maddon ranks with the best when it comes to 90-win seasons. He has five, two fewer than Terry Francona and Mike Scioscia.
Maddon is 781-729 in 11 seasons as a major league manager. He was 754-705 in nine years with Tampa Bay and managed parts of two other seasons with the then-California Angels. He is a two-time American League manager of the year, including in 2008, when the Rays won the AL pennant.
Joe Maddon ops out of contract
