February 15, 200422 yr By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com Free agent pitcher Greg Maddux rejected a multi-year offer from the San Francisco Giants and may determine during the next few days where he will sign for the 2004 season, the Contra Costa Times reported on Saturday, citing an undisclosed source. With Spring Training opening next week, the 37-year-old right-handed Maddux has also been talking to the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. He is only 11 victories away from the 300 mark and expects to reach the milestone this season. "I'd like to get something done, make my decision, by the middle of next week, since most camps are opening," Maddux said the other night. "But even if it's a few days after that, or even a week after that, I don't see it as a big deal. Spring Training is two weeks too long as it is. I've done my work all winter. I think after 20 years in pro ball I know how to get myself ready for a season." The Cubs reportedly have made a two-year offer between $10 million and $12 million, and the two sides are believed to be still negotiating. Maddux came up with the Cubs in 1986 and pitched his first seven big-league seasons in Chicago before joining the Atlanta Braves as a free agent prior to the 1993 season. He has won at least 15 games in each of his last 16 seasons, a Major League record. Maddux said last year that he enjoyed pitching at SBC Park, the home of the Giants formally known as Pacific Bell Park, and that San Francisco was one of the places he'd consider playing. Maddux is currently building a new house in the San Diego area, but talks with the Padres were terminated in January when David Wells signed with San Diego as a free agent. Scott Boras, Maddux's agent, made initial contact with the Giants on Thursday night. But the team's offer was summarily rejected.
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