Joe Maddon opts to leave Tampa Bay Rays

Manager Joe Maddon has decided to leave the Tampa Bay Rays, 10 days after his boss left to run the Dodgers.

The Rays announced Friday that Maddon had exercised an option to walk away from the final year of his contract. In a statement, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said the team had “tried diligently and aggressively” to sign Maddon to a contract extension.

Although Maddon now is a free agent, the only team with a managerial vacancy is the Minnesota Twins, although he would be an unlikely fit there. Maddon also could wait for an opening during or after the 2015 season.

When Rays General Manager Andrew Friedman left to become the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, Maddon said he intended to stay in Tampa Bay. He told The Times: “I want to continue to be a Ray, absolutely. They have to want me to be a Ray too.”

Friedman subsequently said Don Mattingly would “definitely” manage the Dodgers in 2015. Mattingly’s contract extends through 2016.

It is not clear whether Friedman would consider Maddon for a front-office role with the Dodgers.

Maddon, a onetime Angels coach who makes his off-season home in Long Beach, worked with Friedman for nine years in Tampa Bay, with four playoff trips and one World Series appearance.