Well, we had thought that the Rangers really wanted Mike Maddux, and it appears they are putting their money where their mouth is.
Mike Maddux is expected to be named the Rangers pitching coach, after being moneywhipped to come to the team:
General manager Jon Daniels did not confirm or deny the report [that the Rangers would name Mike Maddux pitching coach], saying only that the Rangers had made contact with Maddux this weekend. Daniels' counterpart in Milwaukee, Doug Melvin, told the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel that Maddux was leaving after being "overwhelmed" by the Rangers."He's moving on to a much better deal that he couldn't turn down," Melvin told the newspaper. "They overwhelmed him with a huge deal. He's going to be one of the top paid pitching coaches in the game. I knew he and [Rangers president Nolan Ryan] were pretty close."
Now, it is worth noting this "overwhelming" contract is, in terms of total value, somewhere between what the Rangers spent on Ben Broussard last year and what they spent on Frank Catalanotto last year. And if you really think that Maddux, or someone of his ilk, is a difference maker -- particularly in regards to the pitching staff -- then it seems like it would make a lot of sense to devote significant resources to that position, and shave a million or so off the major league payroll.