With the Cubs having suffered through a dismal May, trade rumors are surfacing.
According to a report in Thursday's Los Angeles Times, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti is looking for starting pitching help before the July 31 trade deadline, and Greg Maddux's name has surfaced.
Maddux is in the final year of a three-year deal with the Cubs. Even though he doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract, it's believed there's a "handshake" agreement that the Cubs would not try to move him during the length of the contract.
That could change if Maddux believes the Cubs have no shot at the playoffs later this season. Maddux, who lives in Las Vegas, could express a desire to pitch for a contending team on the West Coast.
On several occasions the future Hall of Famer said playing for Atlanta's World Series championship team in 1995 was his greatest accomplishment in the game. As his career winds down, Maddux would like another World Series title, and odds are it won't come with the North Siders this year. The Los Angeles Times also reported the Dodgers considered infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. but weren't interested after Dodgers scouts took a close look at him. Hairston was dealt to Texas on Wednesday for Phil Nevin.