The rumor mill is churning this morning with renewed vigor on the possibility of a Tony Gwynn for Greg Maddux trade with the Padres.
It's no secret that Gwynn would like to be playing full time and the Gwynn's are royalty in San Diego.
It's also no secret that the Brewers are in desperate need of starting pitching.
The trade rumors surrounding Greg Maddux reach far and wide and include pretty much every NL team there is. Maddux has a full no-trade clause, so he'll be a part of whatever decision is made. Conventional wisdom would say an aging pitcher would prefer sunny California to Milwaukee, but you never know.
Maddux clearly has a big contract and is on the down side of his career arc, but I can't imagine we'd be able to get him for just Tony Gwynn and I'm not sure how many guys we should be willing to give up in order to have Maddux for the rest of the season.
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spken015710066jun01,0,3739020.column"></a>
<a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=417890">This writer </a>thinks Maddux is staying put:
<div style="font-style: italic;" id="VTHeadline"> Maddux isn't going far, if anywhere, in a trade </div> <div style="font-style: italic;" id="VTSubTitle"> <div id="VTEmailArticle"> <a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=417890#" onclick="window.open('sendlink.php?type=expert&id=417890&title=Madduxkkndisn%27tkkndgoingkkndfar%2Ckkndifkkndanywhere%2Ckkndinkkndakkndtrade&date=Maykknd30%2Ckknd2008&cb=0', 'sendlink', 'width=770,height=880,resizeable=no,scrollbars=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=yes,copyhistory=no');return false;">
</a></div></div> <div style="font-style: italic;" id="VTArticleSubHeader"> <div id="VTPosted"> Posted: May 30, 2008 </div> <div id="VTByLine"> </div> </div> <p style="font-style: italic;"> </p><p style="font-style: italic;"> It's still spring, but it sure seems that hope has long left Petco Park in San Diego. The team is suffering through one of those meltdown seasons in which the best player (in this case, <a href="javascript:fantasyPopup('baseball', 6872)">Jake Peavy</a>) gets hurt, the elder stalwart (<a href="javascript:fantasyPopup('baseball', 4975)">Trevor Hoffman</a>) finally breaks down and the big gambles (Jim Edmonds and <a href="javascript:fantasyPopup('baseball', 7510)">Tadahito Iguchi</a>) fail to pay off. </p><p style="font-style: italic;"> </p><span style="font-style: italic;">This sort of thing always attracts the attention of the rumor mill because the thought is that the team in the midst of a hopeless year would be best off looking to deal any of today's useful parts in exchange for more hope tomorrow. </span><p style="font-style: italic;"> The Padres happen to have one of the most useful parts in baseball history -- 350-game winner <a href="javascript:fantasyPopup('baseball', 3933)">Greg Maddux</a>, who, at age 42, still has a mastery of the strike zone and is carrying himself like a guy 15 years younger. He still slides that sharp-moving fastball around the corners, and umpires still give him the benefit of the doubt. As long as he has those positives, he is useful in the big leagues and a target for the many pitching-starved clubs vying for playoff spots. </p><p style="font-style: italic;"> But, a scout says, there are two things keeping Maddux from being elsewhere at this point. </p><p style="font-style: italic;"> First is Maddux himself. He is happy in Southern California and has little desire to leave -- which is important because Maddux would have to waive his no-trade clause in order to be traded. At this point, he is willing to suffer with the Padres rather than pack up and head for, say, Philadelphia or Houston. Or even to the Cubs, for that matter. He won't go to the American League, so the West Coast is not exactly teeming with possibilities. If he wants to play for a California N.L. team with a shot at a World Series, the only choice would be a return to the Dodgers. </p><p style="font-style: italic;"> The second thing keeping Maddux in San Diego is the Padres. They would certainly move Maddux, especially if he expressed eagerness to go. But, absent a bidding war, teams are not going to give up much for a 42-year-old corner painter, no matter the resume. In this case, because Maddux can be a free agent after the season, the Padres would be better off letting him leave then (they would get a compensatory draft pick) than taking a middling prospect. </p><p style="font-style: italic;"> According to the rumor mill, that means Maddux should be in one of two places come August: still pitching for San Diego or up the road, working in Dodger blue. </p>
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