Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.
Greg Maddux said Wednesday that he might have some news, regarding the Major League Baseball team he will play for this season, to report by Friday.
Then again, if it's the Chicago Cubs, it won't be a new team. Besides, it might not be the Cubs. And he might not even commit to a team by Friday.
Sounding every bit like the veteran who takes his time to make the correct choice for his family and his career, Maddux was hesitant to divulge what tack he and agent Scott Boras are taking, and with whom they are talking.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry offered Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner and Valley High graduate, a two-year deal Tuesday worth approximately $13 million.
Knowing very well Maddux's penchant for not making hasty decisions, Hendry placed no timetable on signing the only pitcher to win at least 15 games in 16 consecutive seasons.
"Obviously, Greg has earned the right to do what he wants to do," Hendry told MLB.com. "He's a tremendous pitcher, a tremendous guy. Hopefully, he'll want to come back and finish where he started.
"I don't think it'll be anything that he decides in the immediate future (or) makes an immediate decision. I think he'll take his time. We'll continue to keep the door open and, hopefully, he'll decide to come home."
Maddux, 37, was picked by the Cubs in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft. In his seventh and final season in Chicago, he was 20-11 with a 2.18 earned-run average in 1992.
He left for Atlanta when the Tribune Co., which owns the Cubs, declined to ante up to retain his services. Tribune Co. could atone for that perceived cheapskate move by ensuring that Maddux, who is 289-163, wins his 300th game in a Cubs uniform.
That would bolster a rotation that already features two aces, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.
Hendry said the times have changed for the Tribune Co. over the past 11 years, that the Cubs upgraded the roster in the offseason (by signing slugger Derrek Lee) and that chasing, if not signing, Maddux would be "icing on the cake."
Maddux's 2003 season, and Braves career, ended in a 3-1 defeat to Prior at Wrigley Field in the first round of the playoffs on Oct. 3. Maddux allowed two earned runs over six innings, but Prior only yielded one in going the distance.
St. Louis is considered to be competing for Maddux's services. Several American League clubs have also been mentioned. Considering Maddux's disdain for that league's designated hitter rule, though, those options are long shots.
Unless, of course, Maddux changes his mind. Reports indicated that he had been seeking a deal worth $10 million per season. He made $14.75 million, the mid-point of pre-arbitration figures that he and the Braves set, in Atlanta last season.
Mike Remlinger, a Cubs reliever who played with Maddux in Atlanta for four seasons, told MLB.com that he has tried to woo Maddux to Chicago in a few phone calls this week.
Remlinger noted how special it was for Maddux to pitch for a manager like Atlanta's Bobby Cox, but that he could have the same type of situation in Chicago with manager Dusty Baker.
"There aren't many places you can go like that, (but) I think this is one," Remlinger said. "(Maddux) knows Chicago. He's also as much a businessman as we all are."
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