Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003 | 9:59 a.m.
Greg Maddux didn't expect Atlanta to offer him salary arbitration for a second consecutive year, but he said he did expect the Braves to make some sort of attempt, however paltry, to retain him.
"I was hoping to maybe get some kind of offer, even if it was a low one ... anything," Maddux said Monday. "But, you know, that didn't happen. So now I just have to look to play somewhere else."
Maddux acknowledged that he and agent Scott Boras have had some discussions with some teams, but Maddux, a Valley High graduate who has 289 career victories, declined to reveal those teams' identities.
Speculation around the game points to San Diego, where he is building a second home, and St. Louis as excellent suitors for Maddux, who despises American League baseball -- because pitchers do not hit -- as much as he dislikes publicly discussing personal matters.
"I don't think you negotiate contracts through the press," he said. "I don't like to do that. It's weak and it's tired, not very professional. I'm just trying to figure out where I could enjoy playing and where I have a chance to win.
"To combine those two would be great, but free agency is all about location and finding a place where you can win. There's no substitution for winning ... you just hope you can find a team that would like to see you win your 300th game."
Should the Angels move pitcher Jarrod Washburn to Boston for Nomar Garciaparra, bringing the shortstop back home to Southern California, Anaheim would also have a void in its staff.
San Diego general manager Kevin Towers would like to sign a solid free-agent pitcher, perhaps a veteran to help mold a young staff, by the end of winter meetings that begin Friday in New Orleans, but he will not pay top dollar.
Maddux did not deny that pitching on the West Coast is an obvious attraction for him.
"I don't know what teams are willing to do," he said. "There has been some interest from some teams, but we have to wait and see what happens. I don't really want to talk about it, because I don't feel that's the way it should be done.
"Whatever I say to a team or a team says to me, I think, should stay between me and the team. When it's all said and done, whoever I do play with, then we'll talk about it."
Drafted in the second round by the Chicago Cubs in 1984, Maddux, 37, went to Atlanta as a free agent after the '92 season. He was 194-88 in 11 seasons with the Braves, for whom he won three of his four Cy Young Awards.
With exceptional talent, especially on the mound, the Braves won only one World Series in Maddux's tenure with the team.
In 2003, he became the first pitcher with at least 15 victories in 16 consecutive seasons when he went 16-11. Cy Young had recorded 15 seasons in a row with at least 15 wins.
Maddux lost what proved to be his final start as a Braves pitcher in the playoffs, in a 3-1 defeat to the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Oct. 3. Maddux lasted six innings, yielding six hits and a walk, striking out one.
Mark Prior went the distance for Chicago, which defeated Atlanta in that series and eventually lost to the World Series-champion Florida in the next round.
"There weren't a lot of people who picked us to win our division, but we won more than 100 games last year and the team won another division title," Maddux said. "We had a lot of success. As far as the postseason, we ran into Prior and (Kerry) Wood.
"As much as you would have liked to have moved on and had a chance to play the Marlins in the next round, we still had a great year. I'm proud of what my team accomplished."
Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz revealed Monday morning that he was surprised when Maddux accepted the team's offer of salary arbitration a year ago, a decision that led to the Braves not making the same offer recently to slugger Gary Sheffield.
A year ago, it also led to Atlanta cutting ties with young ace Kevin Millwood, because the record $14.75 million, one-year deal that both parties settled on for Maddux made Millwood unaffordable.
Schuerholz also discounted Maddux's contention that he would have appreciated any offer from Atlanta over the last week or two.
"Based on my conversations with Greg and (Boras)," Schuerholz told MLB.com, "they made it clear to me and us that their expectations and desires were significantly higher than we were willing to offer."
Maddux declined to protract that drama, instead thanking the Braves front office, manager Bobby Cox and the legion of baseball fans in and around Atlanta who supported him.
"I can't get upset with the Braves," he said. "They gave me 11 great years of baseball, paying me as well as anyone will pay me. What they've done for me, on and off the field, I have nothing but great things to say about the organization.
"I had a chance to play for the best manager in baseball for 11 years, too. I don't think there are many players or people who could enjoy playing or working for their boss like I did. I was privileged to play for Bobby Cox as long as I did."
Maddux said he has no timetable for making his next decision.
He said it is an honor and a privilege to wear a Major League uniform, any uniform, but he has never hidden his disdain for the American League. For a few weeks, or a month or two, he'll collect information to make the best possible decision.
"For me, my family and an organization," Maddux said. "Again, Vegas is home. No matter where I play, whether it's a one-hour flight or four-hour flight, Vegas will always be home."
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