Dodgers add Greg Maddux to Pennyless rotation

August 19, 2:23 AMLA Sports ExaminerBrian Milne

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 Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti is making all the right moves.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers have acquired veteran right-hander Greg Maddux from the slumping San Diego Padres in a move that should help fill the void left by injured starter Brad Penny.

Maddux is the third significant addition the Dodgers have made in the last month, joining Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake.

Is it just me, or didn’t it seem like it had been years since the Dodgers made any big moves like this? Sure, they went after Maddux in 2006, but I mean a big name like Manny who is still in his prime and not an aging slugger like say Eric Davis or Darryl Strawberry.

And the Maddux move is the first of the three that will cost Los Angeles anything as the Dodgers are expected to pay at least the remaining portion of Maddux’s contract. The other two pickups are still being paid by their previous employers.

I’ll be the first to admit, I was skeptical of the Manny deal after he started going through the motions and badmouthing Boston while he was still there, but to be able to get his bat for free was a no-brainer and a major reason why the Dodgers have won six of their last seven.
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Maddux isn’t the pitcher he once was at 42, but a 6-9 record for the San Diego Padres is probably a 9-6 record anywhere else in the league. Look at poor Jake Peavy. Guy has a 2.61 ERA and is 9-8 this year – brutal.

Heck, Penny had a 6-9 record with a 6.05 ERA, so this has to be an upgrade for the Dodgers rotation – not to mention the fact that it adds a veteran with loads of postseason experience in the process.
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Maddux has put up some crazy numbers in his 23 seasons: 737 appearances with a 353-223 record and 20 straight years with at least 13 wins. But the craziest number of all is the 17 Gold Gloves. Dude's got more gold than Michael Phelps.
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More good news for Dodgers fans: all signs are pointing toward Casey Blake returning to Los Angeles next season.

Blake, a free agent after the season, appears happy at third base in L.A. and doesn’t have to look over his shoulder now that farmhand Blake DeWitt is playing second base at AAA Vegas.

The move likely means Jeff Kent’s days are numbered, however. Kent, 40, has hinted that he is indeed “looking for the finish line” without officially saying he’s ready to retire. In the meantime, his numbers are getting better and better thanks to Manny being Manny.