Joe Maddon opts out of contract

— -- Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon has exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and is leaving the team immediately.

"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 comments that were tweeted by 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."

"When am I going to get this opportunity to find out exactly what people think under these circumstances?" Maddon said, according to the Times. He said the difficulty of leaving the team was "gut wrenching, almost feeling sick."

Maddon's departure comes 10 days after Andrew Friedman, the Rays' executive vice president, joined the  Dodgers as their president of baseball operations. Speculation began almost immediately about where Maddon will manage next. A Dodgers source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne on Friday that Maddon's departure from the Rays has "nothing to do with us."

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.