It’s been assumed since before the end of the season that Joe Maddon would end up in Anaheim should the Cubs choose not to bring him back. Those assumptions only grew stronger when the Angels fired first-year manager Brad Ausmus shortly after Maddon’s fate in Chicago was made official.

Maddon had an interview with the Anaheim brass Monday that Jon Heyman said went “very well,” but a sit-down seems like more of a formality than anything. Not only do Maddon’s credentials as a manager speak pretty clearly, but he spent 31 years in the Angels organization before leaving to manage the Rays. Maddon knows owner Arte Moreno well and still has a home in the area, so he’s already comfortable.

#LAAngels owner Arte Moreno is said to want Joe Maddon back in fold. His interview went “very well” today and Maddon’s 1st choice is LAA. He has home in the OC, and most important, he likes Arte from his time there. At this point, very hard to envision this going another way. — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 8, 2019

Mark Feinsand had tweeted early Monday afternoon that the Angels were planning to “interview multiple candidates before making a hire,” but that might not be the case. According to Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller, several sources have indicated that the Angels will likely announce Maddon as their next manager “a day or two after his interview.” That would be either Tuesday or Wednesday for those of you without a calendar handy.

Multiple sources expect #Angels to announce Joe Maddon as new manager as soon as a day or two after his interview this week. Says one source: "It's a fait accompli, isn't it?" — Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) October 8, 2019

Though it may just be nothing more than using somewhat common phrasing, I found it interesting that Miller’s source called Maddon to Anaheim a fait accompli. That’s exactly what Ken Rosenthal said about Maddon’s future with the Cubs when writing that the team should have fired him a year ago, so I can’t help but think that perhaps someone in the skipper’s camp was in Miller’s ear.

Nah, you’re right, that’s probably just me spinning conspiracy theories again. After all, it’s not like Maddon to pay attention to the things being said about him in the media or by the fans. And I’m sure his agent, Alan Nero, wouldn’t repurpose Rosenthal’s words with just the right touch of esoteric sarcasm.

In any case, this does seem like it’s close to a done deal. Now it’s on the Cubs to find Maddon’s replacement and get to work on setting things up to give that person the best possible squad for 2020.