SAN DIEGO -- Greg Maddux will be back for his 23rd season, agreeing on Monday with the
San Diego Padres on a $10
million, one-year contract, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
Mad Dog has 347 wins, four Cy Young Awards and a World Series
championship won in 1995 with the Atlanta Braves. He'll turn 42 on
April 14.
"From my talks with Greg this year, he had as much fun this
year as any other time in his career," Padres manager Bud Black
said Monday night. "It's no surprise to us that he wants to
continue. He loves to compete."
Maddux's return as San Diego's No. 3 starter appeared inevitable
after he went 14-11 with a 4.14 ERA this year in his first season
with the Padres, who fell one win short of their third straight
playoff appearance. All that remained to be done was some dickering
between the team and agent Scott Boras.
Maddux had a player option for $8.75 million. Had he pitched 200
innings -- he finished with 198 -- the option price would have
increased to $10 million. In addition, San Diego had a club option
for $11 million.
The pitcher made $10 million last season.
The new deal contains award bonuses, a no-trade clause and a
suite on road trips, a person familiar with the contract said,
speaking on condition of anonymity because the Padres had not yet
announced the agreement.
"He's still a very successful pitcher," Black said. "He wins
games. That's the primary thing that I think all of us look at. But
also what he brings as far as stability, leadership, wisdom. Those
are the intangibles that we notice inside the clubhouse that we
feel is also a great attribute that Greg brings to the club."
Maddux reached 13 wins for the 20th consecutive season, passing
Cy Young for the major league record. He had a streak of 59 2/3
innings without issuing a walk and continued to look every bit the
16-time Gold Glove winner that he is.
"I think more than anything he has a great knack, a great
awareness of how to disrupt the hitters' timing," Black said. "He
locates the ball on both sides of the plate and he changes speeds,
which is fundamental pitching."
Buster Olney is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.