Mad About Maddux

MetsBlog repeats a thinly-sourced rumor that the Mets might be interested in Greg Maddux, whose contract is up at the end of this year. I was actually thinking before the season that Maddux might be a good target – given his age and slowly declining performance, he seemed like a potential cheap acquisition who could shore up the back end of the rotation, never gets hurt, throws strikes, and would benefit from getting out of Wrigley. And I’d still be interested in getting him cheap, with cheap being defined to include people like Zambrano or maybe even Victor Diaz, who I like but is certainly expendable. The problems:
1. Now that Maddux has a 0.99 ERA, he won’t be cheap and will probably attract other bidders.
2. No, it’s not a good idea to trade real, substantial prospects for a 40-year-old control pitcher in his walk year.
3. You won’t get Maddux from the Cubs, who are painfully short on starting pitching, unless and until they are out of the race.
If the Cubs fall out of contention I do expect there to be bidding for Maddux, but the Mets should continue to regard him mainly as a potential bargain, and avoid him if he gets out of that price range.