Callaway joins Maddon as Halos' pitching coach

ANAHEIM -- After introducing Joe Maddon as manager on Thursday, the Angels are set to hire former Mets skipper Mickey Callaway as pitching coach, a source confirmed to MLB.com on Saturday. The Halos, however, have not made any official announcements.

It’s another homecoming of sorts, as Callaway was a pitcher for the Angels in 2002 and '03, which was part of Maddon’s tenure as the team’s bench coach.

During Callaway’s time as Indians pitching coach, the team led the American League in ERA at 3.64. They also led the Majors in strikeouts with 7,248 in that span, and they had the second-lowest opponents' average in the AL at .243.

The Halos ranked 25th in the Majors this year with a 5.12 ERA. The team allowed 267 home runs, third most in the Majors behind the Orioles and Rockies. Every pitcher to make at least 10 starts for Los Angeles this year had a 4.25 ERA or higher.

Callaway, though, will have a chance to work with veteran Andrew Heaney and youngsters such as Griffin Canning, Patrick Sandoval, Jaime Barría and José Suárez. Shohei Ohtani is also set to return to pitching after serving only as designated hitter in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Ohtani is scheduled to begin his throwing program in late November after having a procedure to address a bipartite patella in his left knee.

Angels owner Arte Moreno also said Thursday that the team’s payroll will increase in 2020, leading to further speculation that the team may go after Orange County native Gerrit Cole, the Astros right-hander who will be a free agent after the World Series.

In 2013, Maddon’s Rays defeated Callaway's Indians in the AL Wild Card Game. Then, in '16, Maddon’s Cubs defeated the Indians in the World Series -- again with Callaway as Cleveland's pitching coach.