Maddux Heading Back To The Dodgers

• Greg Maddux about to be traded to the Dodgers:

Jayson Stark is reporting that the Padres, who, at the trading deadline, tried desperately to trade Greg Maddux to

the only team the veteran was willing to join----the Dodgers----are close to completing a deal----ESPN Story. The big question with Maddux is what he has left for the Dodgers as they try to collect veterans for the stretch run to outlast the Diamondbacks.
With the acquisitions of Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake; the resurgent veterans Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent; and the young players Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and James Loney maturing, the Dodgers have enough offense to operate. Their pitching has been injury-riddled and while Maddux isn't going to be an inspirational leader; nor is he going to provide much more than 85 pitches and six innings, he is a veteran starter that manager Joe Torre will be able to trust down the stretch.
At this point in his career, Maddux's managers know relatively quickly what they're going to get out of him on a particular day, so if he's giving up rockets all over the field, he's not going to take it personally if he's yanked in the second inning. The Dodgers bullpen is deep enough that Maddux's penchant for taking himself out of games isn't going to be a detriment and one would hope that they're not giving up much of anything to get him (the story says it's two players to be named later).
It's not easy to get a deal done when a player is only willing to go to one destination and with a team like the Padres, it's better to get a couple of bodies for Maddux. The Padres are getting something for a pitcher who's not going to help them in the future and the Dodgers are getting a veteran arm to augment their rotation and, they hope, the playoffs.

• Why is the impending return of Carl Pavano still entertained as anything but a sideshow?

Again we're hearing about a possible return to the mound for Carl Pavano, this time on Saturday. Is there anyone who thinks that this is anything to even be discussing seriously?

Pavano, with a month remaining on his contract for which he has received a gift of $40 million for nothing, is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and the Yankees are hoping to get some use out of him over the final month.
Is this a joke? Pavano is like the guy who receives a scholarship to a great private high school, does nothing other than party for his first 3 3/4 years and then returns a month before graduation with stacks and stacks of make-up work trying to get a recommendation to college from the teachers whose only response to his arrival in class is, "who are you?" Is he thinking that there's any possibility that the Yankees are going to pick up his $13 million option for next year? Before scoffing, realize that this is Pavano and with all the nonsense that's gone on since he signed (the majority of it off the field and in doctor's offices), anything is possible.

• White Sox 13-Mariners 5:

Is anyone with an idea about baseball holding the fort in Seattle until they hire a new GM? Jarrod Washburn has been mostly awful since signing a four-year, $37.5 million contract with

the Mariners after the 2005 season; they're going nowhere this year and could use the money from Washburn's contract to bring in some better performers at more reasonable prices and slash some dead money. The Yankees were willing to take Washburn's contract off their hands, but didn't want to give up any prospects of note; the Mariners got greedy and backed off. They then put Washburn on waivers and for some unfathomable reason, the Twins claimed him; then they even offered a young pitcher with good stuff, but bad results, in Boof Bonser and the Mariners still turned it down. What do they want for Washburn? Joba Chamberlain?
Getting Washburn's contract off the books would've been good enough for me, but the

Mariners' delusions and greed almost worked out for them since Bonser is, at best, a mid-rotation starter and at worst, a functioning arm out of the bullpen. Now, after Washburn pitched well enough from May through July to even get those teams interested in the first place, he's back to what he's been throughout his time in Seattle----terrible----but luckily for the Mariners, they'll have him next year as well so they can go through this all over again. Only next time, they'll possibly have someone running the organization who knows to get out of Dodge when the opportunity presents itself.