Maddux to announce his retirement

Greg Maddux SP Maddux to announce his retirement

Greg Maddux has thrown his last pitch. The four-time Cy Young winner will announce his retirement Monday at the baseball winter meetings in Las Vegas, his hometown, according to his agent, Scott Boras. Maddux, who turns 43 in April, ranks eighth on the career wins list with 355. He went 8-13 with a 4.22 ERA last season with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. The last-place Padres traded Maddux to the Dodgers on Aug. 19 for two minor leaguers to be named or cash. He went 2-4 in seven starts for Los Angeles. His last regular-season game for the NL West champions was a gem - he beat the Giants 2-1 at AT&T Park on Sept. 27, giving up one run and two hits in six innings. Maddux then made three relief appearances in the playoffs for the Dodgers - he had an 0.00 ERA over four innings - and then filed for free agency amid speculation he would retire. Maddux finished one win ahead of Roger Clemens on the career victory list. Overall, "Mad Dog" was 355-227 with a 3.16 ERA, and is considered a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible after five years. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Braves sign free agent David Ross

The Atlanta Braves added catching depth by signing free agent David Ross to a two-year deal on Friday. Ross, a 31-year-old Georgia native, likely will replace Corky Miller as the primary backup to starter Brian McCann. Ross is a career .222 hitter. He hit .231 in 52 games with Cincinnati last season before he was released Aug. 18. He signed with Boston and appeared in eight games late in the season. He hit only .203 with 17 homers for the Reds in 2007, when he set a career high with 311 at-bats. His best season was 2006, when he hit .255 with 21 homers and 55 RBIs. Ross has hit 41 homers the last three seasons, the 11th-highest total among major league catchers. The Braves signed Ross one day after trading their top catching prospect, Tyler Flowers, and three other players to the White Sox for starting pitcher Javier Vazquez and left-handed reliever Boone Logan. (Houston Chronicle)

Greene, Khalil SS StL

A welcome fresh season for the shortstop now includes a fresh team as well. The Cardinals acquired their new starting shortstop from San Diego in a three-player swap this week. Greene hit .213 with a meager .260 on-base percentage last season, but the production was as uncharacteristic as the punch. In his four previous seasons as the Padres' starter, Greene averaged 18 home runs and 72 RBIs a season. (St Louis Post-Dispatch)

Burnett, A.J. SP
Braves talking five-year deal with Burnett.

The Braves are ready to offer A.J. Burnett a five-year deal worth $75 million. The Braves started with a four-year, $60 million deal that included a vesting option for a fifth year but are willing to guarantee the fifth season. "He would have to take that because of the length," an industry source with knowledge of the Braves' plans said. "Even if somebody else gave him $18 million a year for four years that's still less [$72 million]." Burnett has indicated he wants a no-trade clause. However, the Braves historically don't do no-trades. "He shouldn't worry about that because his contract is his no-trade; that's a lot of money," the source said. (New York Post)

Teixeira, Mark 1B
Nats are serious about Teixeira.

The Nationals, who are looking for fans as well as wins, are expected to make a bid to try to blow the field away for Mark Teixeira, the almost hometown kid from an hour away in Severna Park, Md. A Nationals person said their priority is to find a left-handed slugger, and there's no better one than Teixeira. They probably also wouldn't mind tweaking Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who hasn't exactly made friends with his neighbor and has coveted Teixiera since he starred in high school about three miles from Camden Yards. Still, most folks still see the incumbent Angels as the slight favorite to keep him, with the Red Sox also a major factor and the winning bid expected to hit or exceed $160 million over eight years. Owner Arte Moreno and manager Mike Scioscia are said to love Teixeira (though some of their baseball people might actually prefer a run at CC), and the guess is that Moreno will outbid the Red Sox, Yankees and other East Coast suitors. (SI.com)

Peavy, Jake SP SD
Cubs have the money for Peavy.

The Cubs' payroll could climb by perhaps 10 percent or more from the final 2008 figure of about $130 million, a greater increase than initial reports this offseason -- and the kind of increase that could allow general manager Jim Hendry to fit both the left-handed bat the team seeks and the Cy Young pitcher the San Diego Padres are trying hard to sell. Two Cubs sources told the Sun-Times this week that the Cubs still are interested in Padres right-hander Jake Peavy, including one saying he expects Hendry to acquire the former Cy Young winner. If the Atlanta Braves, who appeared to be Peavy's strongest pursuer last month, close the deal they're seeking for free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett, (Chicago Sun Times)

Ramirez, Manny LF
Manny forced to play the waiting game.

It appears Manny Ramirez is going to have to be patient. The Dodgers, the team that badly needs him, isn't anxious to spend yet. And at 36, even after his superhuman saving of the Dodgers' season, he appears to be a fallback option for a couple big spenders, including the Angels and his hometown Yankees (he's from Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, just across the East River from the Bronx), who can't be counted out here, either. While Ramirez doesn't crave to go home like Sabathia, he does admire the dollar, and has said -- and shown -- he's ready to go the highest bidder, whomever that may be. (SI.com)