Pitching Prospects Linger While San Diego Deals Maddux

Could an NL West pitching deal be in the works? If so, it better happen fast as the non-waiver trading deadline will be here at 4:00 ET today

The Dodgers have clarified their trade priorities in the past several days, indicating that improving their pitching situation is a high priority. Yesterday, Dodger manager Joe Torre even indicated that Hiroki Kuroda, who is xxx, could be moved to the bullpen if his performance doesn’t improve. Such a move underscores how important a consistent pitcher would be down the stretch for the Dodgers.

Enter Greg Maddux. While reports indicate that talks stalled late yesterday, the Dodgers were indeed indicating interest in Maddux, who has insisted that he can only be traded to another West Coast team (and can do so thanks to his “no trade” clause). Right now, only the Dodgers appear to have an interest in acquiring a starting pitcher.

Could We See This Uniform Again?

The Dodgers also have the option of placing a waiver claim on Maddux in August. How does that work?

After tomorrow, teams can still trade players, but any player they are trying to unload must pass through waivers first. When a team places a player on waivers, any team can enter a claim for him, but if more than one team enters a claim, priority goes to the team that has the lowest winning percentage and/or is in the same league as the player being claimed. The team that placed the player on waivers can work out a deal with the team that claimed him, pull him back off waivers (which means said player can’t be traded for the rest of the season), or just dump the player and his contract on the claiming team.

Maddux, 42, has a 4-8 record this season with a 4.29 earned-run average. He has chalked up 351 career victories and played with the Dodgers last season before signing with San Diego as a free agent.