Dodgers sign Paul Maholm to a one-year, $1.5 million deal

Sep 8, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher

(28) delivers to the plate during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Braves 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: 7:21 p.m. CST

The Los Angeles Dodger have signed left-hander Paul Maholm to a one-year, $1.5 million deal, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

According to Hernandez, the southpaw can earn as much as $6.5 million this season with incentives built into the deal.

———-

According to multiple reports, former Chicago Cubs left-hander Paul Maholm is close to signing a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported that Maholm already has a locker in the Dodgers clubhouse and was also there in person, which he says must be to take a physical. As MLBTR pointed out, it is surprising that Maholm reportedly will receive just a minor-league deal, given his youth, good health and string of strong seasons in recent years.

Last season with the Braves, the 31-year-old southpaw pitched to the tune of a 10-11 record and a 4.41 earned run average, his worst mark since the 2010 season with Pittsburgh. He has become known as a reliable middle-to-back of the rotation arm at the big league level, filling such voids with not only Atlanta, but also Chicago and the Pirates – the team that drafted him with the eighth overall pick in the 2003 draft.

In seven seasons in Pittsburgh, Maholm went an underwhelming 53-73 with a 4.36 ERA in 1,143 2/3 innings of work before joining the Chicago Cubs prior to the 2012 campaign. After putting together a very solid first half in Chicago (9-6, 3.74 ERA in 20 starts), he was dealt to Atlanta and what has become typical of Chicago President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer since they came to the Cubs; a sign-and-flip at the deadline.

He finished 2012 with Atlanta, going 4-5 down the stretch and setting a new career-high with 13 wins on the season, as a whole. Some in the industry thought the lefty might rejoin the Cubs, but although nothing is yet official, it appears he will join a Dodgers rotation that already boasts the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Zack Greinke, Dan Haren, Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley – so there stands a decent chance of Maholm seeing some long-relief work in 2014.