Maddux, Padres Near One-Year, $10M Deal
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Greg Maddux and the San Diego Padres neared agreement last night on a $10 million, one-year contract.
The deal for the four-time Cy Young Award winner would contain a $6 million player option for 2008. The price of the option would increase incrementally up to $10 million if Maddux pitches 200 innings.
Agent Scott Boras, without indicating a team, said Maddux’s deal “was moving positively … but not done yet.”
Details on Maddux’s potential contract with the Padres were disclosed by two people familiar with the talks who spoke in condition of anonymity because no deal had been finalized.
Maddux, who turns 41 on April 14, is 333–203 with a 3.07 ERA in his career. The likely Hall of Famer split last season between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, going 15–14 with a 4.20 ERA.
Boras also had discussed Maddux returning to the Dodgers. The Padres and Dodgers finished with identical 88–74 records — San Diego won the NL West and Los Angeles was the wild card.
With San Diego, Maddux would join a starting rotation headed by Jake Peavy that also includes Clay Hensley and Chris Young. Maddux lives in Las Vegas, making San Diego a relatively short commute.
“Southern California was always a place Greg wanted to play. He was very happy in LA last year,” Boras said. “San Diego also has an environment for his family. His decisions are based primarily on his family.
“We had probably 10 teams that wanted a contract with him that were in venues that were probably too far for him — his children are in school. Certainly the geographical issue for him at this time in his career is the most really prevalent in his decisionmaking,” he said.