The Padres will probably live and die by their starting rotation in 2007. They have some other nice parts, but the strength of this team is the front end pitching. And none of these pitchers, including Jake Peavy, could have more of an impact on how well the team does then future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.
NBCsports.com likes the $10 million deal and likes the rock solid dependability that Maddux brings to the rotation. Plus, you have a mentor to help out the younger guys. Could you imagine how well Jake Peavy would throw if he had half of Maddux’s control? Well hopefully he’ll be teaching the youngster his tricks.
PECOTA projects more of the same from Maddux. His weighted mean average comes in with a 1.26 WHIP and a 3.90 ERA. They only have him throwing 162 innings though, which I think is a bit low. Regardless, you know what you get with Maddux, and that’s a guy who will keep you in just about every ball game he throws in. The question will be whether the run support is there to get him yet another 15 win season.