Now, some coaching updates around the National League…

• Mark McGwire won’t be returning as the Padres bench coach for 2019, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. McGwire is reportedly stepping down to spend more time with his family after two seasons as the bench coach in San Diego. Big Mac had previously spent three seasons apiece as hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. For the Padres, they will seek to avoid an extended search to fill their three coaching vacancies for 2019 (bench coach, hitting coach, and infield coach).
• In other coaching news, the Washington Nationals will not be making any changes to their coaching staff prior to 2019, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Manager Dave Martinez returns for the second year of a three-year deal, hoping for a turnaround after a disappointing first year in Washington. Bench coach Chip Hale, hitting coach Kevin Long, and pitching coach Derek Lilliquist will return to buttress Martinez in the Washington dugout. Rounding out the coaching crew: former infielder Tim Bogar returns to the first base coaching box, Greg Maddux’s former personal catcher Henry Blanco returns to coach in the bullpen and longtime third base coach Bob Henley returns in his usual role.

Maddux and Ibanez are both highly decorated ballplayers, of course, and also have accumulated a fair bit of experience since their playing days ended. They’ll assist in scouting and player development functions, according to the team’s press release.

The 49-year-old Maddux — a recent Hall of Fame inductee — has worked with both the Cubs and Rangers front offices in recent years, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group writes. During the 2013 World Baseball Classic, he was the pitching coach for Team USA.

Ibanez, meanwhile, worked as a television analyst last year after wrapping up his 19-year-career following the 2014 season. The 43-year-old has seen his name come up as a possible field staff candidate, but will instead make his first foray into the front office world with Los Angeles.

• More respondents felt comfortable giving a nine-figure deal to Greinke than to Price, though the expectation is still that Price’s deal will top Greinke’s due to age. Crasnick quotes a pair of scouts that rave about Greinke’s delivery and how he can age well due to his intelligence and lack of reliance on pure velocity. One NL scout likened Greinke to Greg Maddux.
• Heyward won the voting over Upton when asked which would perform better over the life of his next contract, though there was a reasonably even split, and many scouts quoted by Crasnick are concerned with Heyward’s reliance on defensive value and what one described to be a high-maintenance swing.
• Murphy won the voting over Rasmus in their question, and one American League special assistant offered an interesting take to Crasnick: “If I was a team and I had a market for Murphy, I’d want him playing third base. I don’t like him at second. The ball finds him, like it did in the World Series. He got exposed there.” Murphy does have experience at third base, and we’ve mentioned him as a possible option for teams in need of help at the hot corner here at MLBTR, as the free-agent market presents little beyond Murphy and David Freese.
• More respondents felt that Castro is likelier to be traded than Baez, even though as one scout put it, Baez would “fetch more of a haul.” An AL GM offered an interesting take on Castro’s contract, however, telling Crasnick: “Castro showed enough at two positions this year that his contract will seem like a fair deal once the free-agent class this year gets paid.” Castro, who is owed about $38MM over the next four seasons, certainly isn’t cheap and isn’t without his risks. He was a replacement-level player in 2013 and played that way for much of the 2015 season before his bat came to life late in the season following a switch to second base. Of course, Castro also sported an unsustainable .388 BABIP in September and October, which somewhat inflated his production.
• Cespedes and Samardzija narrowly won the voting on their respective question, while Gordon was far and away the most popular answer in the Royals realm.

At age 36, Maddux hadn't won a Cy Young award in a while, but he was still very good.  In 2002 the Professor posted a 2.62 ERA, second in the National League behind Randy Johnson.  Teammate Tom Glavine, who is a few weeks older than Maddux, finished third in NL ERA and signed a three-year, $35MM deal with the Mets in early December 2002.  Later that month, Maddux made the surprising decision to accept arbitration, the equivalent of a one-year deal for 2003.

According to Murray Chass of the New York Times, Boras explained the decision by saying, "At this point in time it was a choice of venue for him.  He had multiple offers, but he really wanted to have another crack at it in Atlanta. He's confident he's going to be pitching for a long, long time and he's very durable, so working on a one-year contract won't bother him. He has some goals that he has not yet achieved in Atlanta that he wants to resolve."  According to the AP, Boras said "many clubs at the ownership level were interested" in Maddux, adding, "At this point in time, at least for this year, they wanted to return to Atlanta and give it one more shot of winning there."  Boras' choice of "they" rather than "we" leads me to believe the decision came more from the client than the agent.  After all, Boras is known for pulling rabbits out of his hat in January (Madson notwithstanding).

Despite Boras' claims, it seems possible that Maddux's market was limited.  The AP article said no other teams publicly talked about pursuing him.  Part of the problem was the recent collective bargaining agreement, which added a 175% luxury tax on the portion of teams' payrolls over $117MM in 2003.  According to SI's Tom Verducci in November of 2002, "Most teams are expected to treat the luxury-tax threshold as a de facto salary cap," and teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers, and Red Sox were anxious to avoid it.  It also appears Boras came out of the gate aggressively for Maddux, seeking a five-year deal according to Verducci.

The Braves had already planned for life without Maddux and Glavine, having acquired Russ Ortiz and Mike Hampton and signed Paul Byrd.  Maddux's decision to accept arbitration busted the Braves' budget, so the team immediately traded Kevin Millwood to the rival Phillies for Johnny Estrada.  GM John Schuerholz said, "We had no choice but to move payroll."  Seven years later, a similar situation occurred with the Braves when reliever Rafael Soriano accepted arbitration and had to be traded due to payroll constraints.  Soriano did not become a Boras client until several months later. 

Maddux seemed headed for a hearing to determine his 2003 salary, but a few days prior he split the difference between his and the team's arbitration submissions, agreeing to a $14.75MM salary.  It was the largest one-year contract in baseball history.  Though Maddux led the NL in walk rate in '03, he posted his highest ERA since 1987 in his final and most expensive season with the Braves.

• The Maddux move is official, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. His title will be special assistant to the GM. 
• The Astros obtained permission to speak with Levine, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
• Greg Maddux is leaving the Cubs and may soon accept a position with the Rangers, according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Maddux, who worked as a special assistant to Cubs GM Jim Hendry last season, would join his brother in Texas. Mike Maddux, the Rangers' pitching coach, interviewed for the Cubs' managerial opening before deciding to remain in Texas. 
• Maddux will join the Rangers, according to Grant. He's expected to evaluate and help develop pitchers during the season.
• The Astros contacted the Rangers to obtain permission to interview assistant GM Thad Levine, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Astros have already obtained permission to speak with Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, but it seems unlikely that Friedman will leave Tampa Bay.

• Press release: Greg Maddux has joined the Cubs as an assistant to GM Jim Hendry.  He'll work with the coaching staffs as well as baseball operations.  Click here for the official story. 
• Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Diamondbacks' interest in Jose Valverde has cooled.  The Tigers made an offer, the magnitude of which is unknown. 
• Morosi says the Indians are not engaged in trade talks for Jhonny Peralta.
• ESPN's Keith Law praises the Reds for adding a pitcher with huge upside in Aroldis Chapman.  He also points out that MLB's current draft setup "screws American-born players."
• David Coleman of The Crawfish Boxes says the Astros drew a line when they designated Julio Lugo for assignment in '03 following domestic violence charges, making their Brett Myers signing seem hypocritical.
• Free agent lefty Doug Davis is interested in joining the Nationals, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson, but Davis was told the Nats are more focused on adding a second baseman.  Davis acknowledged, "Things are kind of going slow for me because I'm fifth or sixth down the line [when it comes to] starting pitching."
• Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times talks about the Mariners' need to sign Felix Hernandez long-term before the season begins.
• Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles evaluates the Giants' Aubrey Huff signing.
• MLB.com's Doug Miller discusses new defensive stats with experts and team officials.

• Yankees GM Brian Cashman believes the trade deadline is "no longer even in existence" because teams can always use waivers to swap players in August:  "Guys are going to get through because people are going to be afraid to claim and get stuck with money that they can’t afford," said the GM. "And so the July 31 trade deadline is more of a fictitious one now, anyway."
• According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, Reds manager Dusty Baker had a meeting with his players this week to discuss the looming trade deadline.  "Dusty said… that if you continue to win, they can't remove pieces," noted trade candidate Bronson Arroyo.
• As Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune points out, using Rich Harden and Jason Marquis as prime examples, midseason trades don't always look as sweet a year later.
• According to the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, the Braves are interested in adding Greg Maddux as a spring training pitching instructor.  Maddux worked in a similar capacity for the Padres last spring.
• For quick updates and a bit more discussion, follow MLBTR on Twitter.  Hey, and while you're at it, go ahead and add your good buddy Drew Silva.  I'll try not to let you down.

• Right-hander Jason Bergmann, who has an option left, is not happy that the Nationals have sent him to Triple-A, says Pete McElroy of masnsports.com. In nine games, Bergmann didn't give up a run. He had 6 K and 2 BB in 11 1/3 innings.
• Not a rumor, but a headline of importance: Unsurprisingly, the Braves are going to retire Greg Maddux's number in July.
• Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal praises the Red Sox shrewdness by improving their ballclub while reducing their payroll by $13MM, from fourth highest to sixth. Back-loaded extensions to key players could mean the Sox could add payroll if a marquee player becomes available this summer.
• Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star has a short but interesting article up noting that paying for a free agent pitcher does not usually work out. It would be interesting to actually see the numbers on this. Mellinger writes,

• RotoAuthority discusses possible lineup position changes for star players.
• Baseball America has the latest minor league transactions.
• Greg Maddux has joined the Padres as a Spring Training instructor, says MLB.com’s Corey Brock.
• Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News learned that Adrian Beltre enjoys hitting in AT&T Park and would be excited to play for the Giants.  Baggarly wonders if the Giants could attempt to acquire Beltre this summer.  The third baseman and Scott Boras client will be a free agent after the season.
• Shawn Estes, currently in camp with the Dodgers, will retire if he can’t make a Major League roster according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
• A Mets official told Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that the team is unlikely to sign free agent reliever Chad Cordero.
• Jake Peavy talked more about the failed attempts to trade him during the winter (Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting).
• The Mariners added catcher Jason Phillips on a minor league deal, according to Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune.

• Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald describes a casino alert regarding potential inside information due to the Winter Meetings.
• ESPN’s Keith Law isn’t thrilled with the Tigers’ acquisition of Gerald Laird.
• Michael S. Schmidt gives a peek at the Boras Book for Greg Maddux.  One client for which exaggeration is unnecessary.
• Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker says the Seibu Lions will post 35 year-old lefty reliever Koji Mitsui.  Another southpaw option to consider; he’s not expected to cost much.
• Newman also says the Orioles may offer two-year, $10MM contracts to both Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara.
• Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the D’Backs have had brief, preliminary talks on an extension for Chris Snyder and they’ll resume soon.

• Jason Michaels is confused by the lack of interest from the Pirates, who have said they want him back.
• Khalil Greene says he’s frustrated to have let the Padres down and Tim Sullivan writes that it wasn’t for lack of intensity.  The Padres still won’t be dropping their grievance against Greene.
• Buster Olney expects Mark Prior to sign a minor-league deal with the Padres.
• Jason Beck writes that the Tigers could afford to trade either Jeff Larish or Matt Joyce in a deal for Jack Wilson. Detroit has other weaknesses to address though, so Beck thinks they could hold onto their trade chips and sign a player like Adam Everett.
• Arbitration could work for both Jason Varitek and the Red Sox, suggests Sean McAdam.
• Tony Massarotti has five reasons to keep Justin Masterson in the bullpen.
• The Angels signed South Korean righty Pil Joon Jang to a minor league contract.
• Jay Jaffe plays Yankees GM at Baseball Prospectus.
• MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo ranks the best Rule 5 Draft selections since 1990.
• Tom Verducci looks back at the career Greg Maddux had.

• Junichi Tazawa is expected to announce early next week that he will sign with the Red Sox. He turned down offers from the Rangers, Mariners and Braves.
• The Padres recently offered to talk with Trevor Hoffman, but he hasn’t responded.  Tom Krasovic also has a Sandy Alderson quote that the Padres are "highly unlikely" to offer Hoffman arbitration.
• Robert MacLeod talked to Blue Jays insiders who believe trading ace Roy Halladay would send "the wrong signal" to fans since the Jays want to compete in 2009.
• Rob Neyer wonders how C.C. Sabathia’s weight will affect his performance going forward.
• Joba Chamberlain tops Peter Abraham’s list of the 20 most important people to the Yankees organization.
• Peter Gammons asks five post-Thanksgiving questions about free agents and trades.  Also within that blog post, Gammons mentions that Kevin Towers went to Sunday’s Chargers game with Brad Ausmus and hopes to sign him.
• Larry LaRue writes that the Mariners could use a couple good outfielders to go along with Ichiro.
• Bob Verdi expects a quiet retirement accouncement from Greg Maddux.

• Greg Maddux says he hasn’t officially decided about retirement yet, but he’ll "try to figure it out in the next couple of days."
• David Newhan is now a free agent.
• Marc Hulet looks at interesting names for the Rule 5 draft over at Baseball Analysts.
• Roch Kubatko reports that the Orioles hired former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky as a special assistant to Andy MacPhail.
• Lefty Mike Maroth is feeling good following May shoulder surgery and intends to pitch in 2009.
• South Side Sox believes the White Sox are trimming payroll.
• Minor league free agent shortstop Luis Hernandez signed with the Royals.
• SoxProspects.com says the Red Sox inked Billy Traber, Marcus McBeth, and Gil Velazquez to minor league deals.
• The Dodgers re-signed Luis Maza to a minor league contract. Also at that link, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt hinted that the team may be unwilling to increase its two-year, $45MM offer to Manny Ramirez.