Report: Angels fire longtime scouting director Eddie Bane

John Manuel of Baseball America reports that the Angels have fired Eddie Bane, who has been the team’s scouting director since 2004 and is generally considered one of the best in the business. In fact, Bane was recently among the finalists interviewed for the Diamondbacks’ general manager job that ultimately went to former Padres general manager Kevin Towers. While the Angels have certainly been very disappointing this season and some shakeups in general wouldn’t be surprising, letting go of Bane definitely comes as a big surprise. It’ll be interesting to hear if perhaps the 58-year-old Bane initiated the break-up with an eye toward joining another organization in a prominent role.