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2.3.2004 |
MADDUX TALKS
Lots of chatter regarding Greg Maddux today in both the Chicago papers and the news wires. No commentary, just passing on some tid-bits.
Mike Kiley reports in the Sun-Times:
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry planned to have a more substantive discussion Monday night or today with agent Scott Boras about the chances of working out a contract with free-agent pitcher Greg Maddux.
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Since the Cubs submitted an initial offer to Maddux on Jan. 13 -- a two-year deal worth between $10 million and $12 million, depending on incentives -- the only meaningful exchange between the sides has been Boras reiterating that a possible $6 million a year is far too little for someone of Maddux's stature.
Teddy Greenstein of the Trib adds that Scott Boras, Maddux's agent, is trying to sell the Cubs on Maddux's role as mentor to the Cubs' young staff:
Boras is trying to sell Hendry on the fact that Maddux is not only a consistent winner who has won 15 to 20 games every season since 1988. He is emphasizing Maddux's value as a teacher, pointing to improvements by former teammates Mike Hampton, Kevin Millwood and Damian Moss, among others.
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"He's the greatest teacher in the major leagues, and he has tenure," Boras said of Maddux. "If he wrote a book on pitching, it would win a Pulitzer Prize."
ESPN's Jim Baker has some great and, as always, humorous commentary on the situation, noting how Boras appears to be once again trying to get a team to bid against only itself when pursuing his clients. It worked for A-Rod, and almost worked for I-Rod, but so far it doesn't appear to be working with the Cubs. You can find Baker's article here, but you need a subscription to ESPN Insider to read it (which is why I'm not quoting it).
The Cubs may not be alone in their pursuit of Maddux for long, though. It appears the Dodgers, with new ownership and supposedly an interest in finally spending some dough, have entered the mix:
The Dodgers have expressed interest in free agent Greg Maddux, with pitching coach Jim Colborn speaking with the future Hall of Famer and manager Jim Tracy talking to the right-hander's brother.
The conversations were confirmed Tuesday by a baseball source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
For those hoping for Maddux in Chi-town, this puts at least a small damper on the Cubs' chances. Dodger, not Cubbie, blue could fit Greg well. The next week or so will be pretty telling.
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 posted by alex at 08:41 PM | comments (0) |
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