Greg Maddux as a free agent

[splitterpfj]

If Greg decides he wants to pitch another season, I expect the rumors to start again in Milwaukee.

 

If a contract can be worked out, this one would not surprise me at all.

[trwi7]

To be honest I'd rather have Davis and Villanueva at the back end of the rotation over Maddux.

[mothershipconnection]

Earlier, it seemed as if his poor performance with the Cubs could push him toward a one year low risk deal. However, after a 3.30 ERA in 12 starts with LA, helping them to a playoff berth, he may have "earned" an overpayment from a contender with junk pitching.

Maybe the Yankees will sign him to a 5 year $130M deal.

[splitterpfj]

I've looked into this a little more....if Maddux wants to pitch another season, this is a move I want to see.

 

Currently we have a great deal of debate here over what to do with Doug Davis, he's been dependable, he's not yet eligible for free agency, but he wants a nice new deal of course, and he could indeed be an attractive trading chip in this pitching starved market.

 

I looked at Davis' stats over the past three seasons, and compared them to Maddux' last three. If the price on a one-year deal is even close, I prefer to sign Maddux, then either sign Davis to a one-year deal, or move him in a deal for bullpen help, or perhaps a young catcher or outfielder.

 

Over the last three years, it looks like this...

 

W GS IP ERA WHIP

15 34 215 4.15 1.20 Maddux

11 34 211 4.03 1.37 Davis

 

Those are the seasonal average over the last three years. I'm willing to throw out wins for the most part, because I view that as more of a team stat, but otherwise, both players will take the ball when their turn comes up, and they will put up about the same number of IP. The key point here for me is, Davis has somehow managed to allow fewer ER, while having a considerably higher WHIP...he's been allowing a lot more baserunners, while somehow managing to allow fewer of them to score. That's a tough thing to do consistently, to me, a one-year deal for Maddux seems a much safer bet than a 3-year deal for Davis.

 

I'll take Maddux and Davis in the rotation, with the young pitchers starting in AAA, or perhaps one of them as a long reliever in Milwaukee, pitching depth is a good thing. I'll also take Maddux in Davis' place in the rotation, with Davis moved in a deal that helps the club elsewhere.

[colbyjack]

That's a pretty compelling argument for Greg Maddux.

 

However, Maddux made $9M each of the last two years. Even if he does sign for less than that, how low is he willing to go to return first of all, and play for the Brewers? If it goes back to money, which it unfortunately almost always does, Davis at $4-5M for next season might make more sense financially and for the future, especially if Davis is able to bounce back to his '03-'05 form.

[endaround]

Why can Davis do that? He can strike batters out, Maddux can't anymore (not that he was a big K guy to begin with). Davis' K/9 rate is above 7 while Maddux is in the mid 5s. Which means he requires more help from his D, not exactly the Brewer strong point.

 

For example in 2005 (given the two teams, 2006 is harder to compute), his ERA was 4.24 while his DERA was 4.46. Similarly in 2004 his ERA was 4.02 while his DERA was 4.19.

 

Add in Maddux will likely cost at least $3 million more than Davis next season.

[pogokat]

I still love greg maddux...and i'm willing to wait until the rade dealine next year to see villy in a starting role if we can get maddux for a year or two...

 

He's still a very good pitcher...and he's incredibly intense on the mound...

 

Plus, he owns the brewers...so having him on the team at least means the brewers wont have to get shutout by him...

[splitterpfj]

My intent wasn't to knock Davis, rather to promote the addition of Maddux. If I could have either man for next season, I would choose Maddux. I'd welcome both in the rotation for sure, I would also like to have the flexibility to deal a starting pitcher if a great offer came along, which it just might.

[thumperden]

You may see an improved pitching staff with G. Maddux in the rotation. I think that improvement would come from his presence, passing along tricks of the trade, mental approaches, etc. than you may see in his overall production on the mound. It would be a lot like having another pitching coach around. I think that would help M. Maddux's communication too because he'd have his brother around as an advocate and also another interpreter of his teaching style that only brothers understand.

 

Holy crud, a sentence with 7 "a" words in a row. Time to lay off the caffeine, and sorry I brought it up.

[princeginterhallhelms04]

Maddux if he does want to play longer would most likely look at the west coast first. I have a feeling the dodgers would not mind having him back. Also i know the padres are in the market to spend money and he would look good at Petco! Don't want him!