Jake Peavy Rumors: Tuesday

who's taking on Marquis' contract? J.A. Happ has been the rumored guy going from the Phillies to San Diego, don't know much about him just a little from what I've able to read. He's a 26 yr. old left hander with okay control and good strikeout numbers.

I'm baffled as to why Furcal's name keeps coming up.

The Cubs already have a passable SS that's cheap and the manager likes.

They have a payroll crunch that is severely constraining their options (just ask Kerry Wood).

They're trying to acquire both a $10M+/yr pitcher, and also a RF that will cost upwards of $8M per year.

And in the face of all that, people think $10M+ worth of Rafael Furcal is realistic?

I love DeRo, I think it will be hard to replace him if he is indeed traded. I think Fontenot will do a good enough job if he is given a chance to start but I cant help but think that this will bring the Brian Roberts rumors raging back.

"And in the face of all that, people think $10M+ worth of Rafael Furcal is realistic?"

I couldnt agree more. I think Theriot is alot better than everyone gives him credit for. Decent D and Speed + Good Hitting and OBP + He is very cheap, what more could you ask for?

We don't really need Furcal especially if we could get Abreu or Ibanez on shorter and cheaper contracts. To get Peavy, getting rid of marquis is a must but if we don't get him it isn't a terrible thing. The way he pitches it's only a matter of time before he spends significant time on th DL. The rotation would be great tho "IF" all of them stay healthy.

If DeRo is going then we better get a big stick in right. I'm anxious to see Fontenot a full season if all this happens. I like the idea of him playing everyday alongside Theriot.

When I said "amongst others" I was speaking towards Angel Guzman, Kevin Hart, and Ronny Cedeno.

If so, hell, the Cubs may as well just ship over the rest of the bottom of their 25 man roster while their at it.

I am extremely anxious to see Peavy wear a Cubs jersey; however, if it takes an extra day or two, I'd rather see Peavy wearing a Cubs jersey along with Mark DeRosa. I believe if Hendry takes his time, he can make a Peavy deal work without giving what looked like the Cubs MVP last year. DeRosa is so versatile and important to the Cubs and it would be a shame to give him away. The Cubs are Peavy's only other option, so why the rush (besides by the conclusion of the winter meetings)? Listen to some offers and hope that the Cubs only have to give up players like Cedeño, Pie, Guzman, Marquis, or other prospects.

The Phillies are the enemy...no DeRosa for them as an Utley replacement...better to shop "the usual suspects"---Pie, Cedeno, Marshall and Kevin Hart and maximize return....Regarding Peavy, the Cubs need to make the Padres a take it or leave it offer with "choice of" options and let Padres shop the commodities absent a phony deadline. Seems like the pending sale of Tribune assets would be a nice excuse if no deal can be struck. If Marquis must go to the bullpen because only lowball offers emerged, so be it. Marquis is in the final year of a contract and he might be a nice candidate for trade next July at the deadline. Plus, Harden is fragile and Szamardija can always be "parked" in AAA Iowa for the time being a la the Twins' treatment of Liriano. Cub fans know that injuries are bound to strike... Forget the Phils, Hendry. Look to bolser non-NL rivals such as Orioles or Tampa Bay or Seattle...Peavy truly wants to be a Cub but there are some minor injury concerns and questions about how much Petco's spacious ballpark has deflated his ERA...Hendry needs to drive a harder bargain...Padres and Phillies are working a "tag team" and looking to take advantage of the Cubs....same with the Giants offering Aurelia to Cubs for either Fontenot or Cedeno...Hoffpauir will be better suited to back up Lee...Aurelia is an old lemon and bound to be released unless the Giants can unload him on some sucker....Cubs need lefty-hitting reserves not another right handed stiff like Aurelia. KC's David DeJesus is one to pursue first off...Maybe the White Sox would like Ronnie Cedeno since he is a Venezuelan shortstop like Ozzie Guillen...Power lefty arms Rich Hill and Donnie Veal hold value and would probably benefit from escaping impatient Piniella's Dog Kennel which is vast.

"Padres and Phillies are working a "tag team" and looking to take advantage of the Cubs"

Lol

Rich Hill, holding value???

Veal might but Rich Hill needs more time to build any value, besides Rich will probalby take Lilly's spot in the rotation if he gets his stuff together in the Minors.

At age 28 rolling into 29, Rich Hill has clearly stalled and is no longer "trusted"
by Piniella. That does not mean he is without value as he has been toiling in Venezuela this winter and his problems are more mental than physical. Hill is a power lefty with an 18-17 record in the majors with a 4.37 ERA with 309 Ks in 338 IP with only 291 hits allowed (.232 BA against) with 309 Ks to 137 walks. His wildness planted him in Piniella's dog house and got him a one-way ticket to Iowa. Sometimes all it takes for an under-achieving pitcher is a clean slate and a new set of eyes and ideas to tweak a delivery and add or subtract a pitch from the arsenal etc. Pitching coaches such as a Dave Dave Righetti or Bud Black or Don Cooper would have plenty to work with with Hill who holds plenty of value still. He may just be a late bloomer. I've seen him dominate at the major league level. His curve ball is wicked. Hard to control but wicked and his "climb the ladder" high heat is plenty capable. It is my humble opinion that Rich Hill was just mentally unsuited for a major media market like a Chicago or New York and a non-coddler like Piniella...A change of scenery to a place like Seattle or Florida or Kansas City or Pittsburgh could yield quick returns.

if veal holds so much value why didnt the cubbies protect him against the rule v draft?

I heard a rumor on two different occasions this morning on XM MLB Home Plate that the phils could be the ones getting peavy? I know its far fetched and would never happen as he'd have to approve us as a club to trade to and I doubt he'd want to come here, but if we have the pitching prospects the Padres want (Carrasco, Happ, Savery???) could the Phils by-pass the Cubs???

Oh and to those that have said I doubt the Phils would do Happ for Cedeno or some other retread. If you're using us to facilitate getting Peavy, you need us we don't need you. We'll gladly take DeRosa off your hands for Happ.

Peavy is not going to the Phils... Towers said at the Winter Meetings it is either the Cubs or no one. I watched the interview on Comcast this morning. If the Cubs have to give up Derosa to the Phils to make this happen I'd like to see them pursue Chone Figgins to play SS and move Theriot over to 2nd to platoon with Fontenot. With the loss of Tex maybe the Angels would be interested in a package that includes Micah Hoffpuair (they'll need to offer more then just Hoff though). I'd hate lose DeRosa versatility and not pick it up somewhere else.

I wouldnt mind this deal if we trade DeRosa and didnt have to trade Vitters. Not sure if that is possible but losing DeRo is going to hurt.

Here is how this seems like it will play out for the Cubs:

1)DeRosa to Phils for prospects that get flipped to SD.

2) Pie to O's for Olson who gets flipped to SD.

3) Vitters and maybe a lesser prospect to SD for Peavy.

4) Cubs sign Rich Aurillia to platoon with Fontenot at second base (decent righty/lefty platoon).

5) Cubs sign Abreu or Ibanez.

That would definitely get the Cubs back to the playoffs where they may actually be capable of winning one game!!

The bullpen looks to be the biggest question mark though if all this happens.

EK,

thanks for the heads up. Then why all the misinformed talk above that the Cubs would need to pare salary to make it fit???

I think you'd be fine with Marmol and Gregg. Its not the best but if you've got a 7-2 lead going to the 8th it'd be tough to give that up regularly. If the Cubs complete this deal they're definitely tops in the league again. Then we'll see come playoff time!!

All this talk about Peavy's health is way exaggerated. He's averaged 193+ IP/year over the last 6 years.

In comparison, Lilly averaged 182+ IP/year over the last 6 years, Marquis 166+ IP/year. I'm not even bringing Harden up.

Only Big Z has averaged more IP/year in the Cubs' current rotation (210+ IP/year).

Does he miss the occasional start? Sure. Many pitchers do. He's also a sure bet to give you 7 innings almost every time out. Bullpen guys love him.

As far as Peavy going to Philly, I wouldn't rule anything out despite what is being reported.

Peavy wants a NL team with a decent shot at winning. If last year is any indication, Philly definitely fits.

Is this his favorite destination? Likely not. Could he be tempted if there are clear signs that a WS title is within reach? Absolutely. Towers will listen and if they can put something tempting together and make it sweet enough for Jake, this could get interesting.

"Personally as a phillies fan I'm not a fan of Abreu. You won't see him going close to that ivey. He's worried about getting hurt too much."

I've heard that about Abreu. I'd be okay with Bradley. Not sure how his D is, but he's definitely turned into a good offensive player the last few years. Obviously his personality is the biggest question mark. And after having been through the Kent Merker/ Moises Alout era I'm not sure I want another player like that.

"Again I know it'd never happen, but about a month or so ago on here I'd be willing to bet there were Cubs fans that had "pipe dreams" of getting Peavy as well and now look where you stand. You never know."

Phillsws, True. I'll give you that.

i had seats in the old Vet and now in the new park in RF and we would just tortute Abreu because he was so lackadaisical (sp) defensively. Offensively, he's very good. Solid .300 hitter with average pop and walks so I'd assume he's continued his good OBP with the Yanks that he had with us. From my understanding he was not well liked in the clubhouse as a "me" guy. Not sure if that was the case and if it was how that would play out for Lou.

there is NO WAY the Phils take Marquis. Sorry find another fool. Why would we help the Cubs???

A 4-team deal, huh? Yeah, that's really going to happen. I am sure a 4-team deal is soooo close.

More teams = exponentially more things that could blow the deal up at a moments notice.

Ugh, I hope the Phillies bail out of this ASAP.

Marquis stinks and DeRosa is just average. Why give up Happ or anyone for that matter to acquire those two? Better options are available in free agency.

philsWSchamps,

Just a thought here.

One year of Marquis at $4-5M might be considerably better than two years of Moyer at $9M/year. I understand he had a reniassance of sorts last year, but $9M a year is very steep.

UtelyFan,

I understand he can strike some guys out, but if Happ were so good, why wasn't/wouldn't he be in the Phillies rotation over crappers like Kyle Kendrick?

Or maybe over resigning Moyer for $9M/year.

Something obviously doesn't add up here from a Phillies management standpoint.

mmontice,

You can't eat ENOUGH of Marquis. Salary. Maybe if you ate all of Eaton's then we could talk. We've got so many 4th and 5th starters its ridiculous. NO WAY. And why exactly would we help another team that has designs on our championship and has the players to do it? Sorry, NO!

Oh and we could offer MORE for Peavy and if he'd agree to come here it would make for one good rotation for us.

How about Carrasco, Donald, Happ and Madson for Peavy? Personally we could pull Happ back to keep as a 5th starter for us and it'd still be better than the Cubs deal. Then go out and sign Juan Cruz. I'd be worried about losing Carrasco but who cares, we'd have Jake Peavy.

"UtelyFan,

I understand he can strike some guys out, but if Happ were so good, why wasn't/wouldn't he be in the Phillies rotation over crappers like Kyle Kendrick?

Or maybe over resigning Moyer for $9M/year.

Something obviously doesn't add up here from a Phillies management standpoint."

The reason Happ never took Eaton's place was because he was injured during most of Eaton's tenure in the starting rotation. Kendrick was actually very effective until July of last season and then he tanked pretty hard. They gave Kendrick a month to work it out and when it wasn't happening, Happ did indeed take his place.

Happ is by no means a top of the rotation guy and he has his flaws like control issues. But I believe (and the Phillies should too) that he has a much higher ceiling than what Marquis can offer you.

Bourne's Identities,

The Phillies wont get Peavy. They said that the Cubs are the only team he wants to go with AND Towers is talking to. Yes, he will accept a trade to i think its the Dodgers, but this trade will happen soon. I really dont think they will have to wait for a new owner before the trade will get done. I listen to Phil Rodgers on 720 The Score from Chicago last night and he said the trade it pretty much done. The only thing i dont like about this trade is the Mark DeRosa leaving the cubs, but you have to give up a player to get a player. This trade will be done soon, and also I think the Cubs will sign M. Bradley soon too.

GO CUBS

KG2577 ,

What is the total package. Plus with Towers coming out and saying they want to trade Peavy, they have to do it. The respect level between Towers and Peavey is very small i think.

UtleyFan, =

I understand he has a higher ceiling than Marquis. Trust me on that. Marquis is just the forced throw in, with DeRosa being the real piece.

My point was, why don't the Phillies just slide him into the rotation instead of offering Moyer considerable money over the next two years.

Kendrick has to stay in the minors and work on his pitches, he had a great first season but ways called up way too early IMO.

This is the worst thread I've seen here in a while; lets break down the most erroneous assertions made:

1) Rich Hill is a power lefty.
Uh, no he's not. He relies on his offspeed stuff and his fastball is only mixed in, want to call Jamie Moyer a power lefty while you're at it?

2) Theriot is a good SS.
All scouting and stastical analysis suggests his mean will be a .250/.300/.350 career line. Additionally, he has a subpar arm and mediocre range. A 2B playing SS if there's ever been one. His BA was a statistical abnormality and he looked completely overmatched down the strech and in the playoffs. Although, a platoon of Fontenot / Theriot at 2B is tolerable.

3) DeRosa is one of the Cubs' most valuable players.
No. He's a platoon player who's subpar (yet servicable) defensively almost anywhere you put him. Can hit for average but doesn't have a ton of pop. If the Cubs do trade him, it will be one of the first times they've "sold high" on a player to improve their ball club. If the Phillies are considering him to replace Burrell, well, lets just say the fans should have enjoyed that parade.

If the Cubs can get Peavy for the type of return being discussed and unload Marquis in the process this should be a no brainer. Especially if they can go out and add an impact bat in RF (Bradley) in free agency to improve production.

I'm hearing it's a four team trade... with Pie and possibly Donald coming to the Orioles.. The orioles would send Olsen and Luke Scott to the Cubs, the Padres would send Chase Headley to the Phillies along with two minor league players. The Cubs would get Peavy and trade Vitters, Hart, Cedeno and Sean Marshall to the Padres. Good source in front office of MLB told me bout 20 mins ago that this is the latest.. He said the Orioles may have to send more to the Phillies tho..

DeRosa isnt a force in

If the Phillies acquire Headley plus prospects for just Donald, I'm all for it!

I find this pretty hard to believe, however.

Also, if Hendry can get Peavy without giving up Vitters, I'm sending him a Christmas card.

To all the Philly fans who are poo-pooing Mark DeRosa, if you are lucky enough to get this guy on your team you will absolutely fall in love with him. He plays solid defense at 5 different positions (2b, 3b, LF, RF, 1b), can REALLY swing the stick, has decent pop (not great, but certainly solid), and will immediately become one of the most well liked clubhouse guys - by players, fans, and the media - on your team. There are a lot of Cub fans who will tell you that De-Ro was the team's MVP last year. I know it's a cliche, but a lot of what he does can't be measured in numbers. Yeah, he subs at a lot of positions, but to call him a 'utility player' is an insult. He's a guy that can be in your lineup every single day playing solid D and providing some clutch offense as well. I know you don't want to see your team helping one of the NL's biggest contenders fatten up an already loaded starting staff, but trust me, once you've had De-Ro on your club a few months you'll think differently.

I'm hearing it's a four team trade... with Pie and possibly Donald coming to the Orioles.. The orioles would send Olsen and Luke Scott to the Cubs, the Padres would send Chase Headley to the Phillies along with two minor league players. The Cubs would get Peavy and trade Vitters, Hart, Cedeno and Sean Marshall to the Padres. Good source in front office of MLB told me bout 20 mins ago that this is the latest.. He said the Orioles may have to send more to the Phillies tho..

Are you kidding me? Phillies including Donald. You need to get better sources. There's no way they include Donald without getting MUCH more in return.

oh and Luke Scott and Olsen STAY with the Cubs? That makes no sense.

Free Headley from Petco and you're looking at a 294/355/454 based on previous numbers. He's right-handed, 25 and under team control for four more years. Which is why there is no way the Pads would trade him. They're looking to dump contracts, not building blocks.

I looked around and I know it's early but if the phils do get DeRosa they would have a lot of money coming off the books in 2010.(Thomes money,Eaton,Feliz,DeRosa,Myers) That's why I want to see them lock up some of their Arb players this year so next off season they can go after Holliday.

Cubs fans, please remove your blinders regarding DeRosa. He's a nice little player who has decent pop versus lefties. He is ideally suited to a platoon/utility role no matter how much dirt he gets on his uniform. Do not want.

all cubs fans,

We don't think Marquis stinks.

we have enough 4th and 5th starters. we don't need more. what about that don't you understand????

Kendrick
Eaton
Blanton
Carrasco (until he gets more developed)

We're not interested in helping you get a 1-5 that rivals the best ever.

And Moyer is not listed above because he's not a 4 or 5. he's a 3. He had a 3.71 ERA and also pitches almost 200 innings every season.

Bourne's Identities shows his ignorance. The only reason DeRosa gets labeled as a 'utility' guy is because he's CAPABLE of playing so many positions. He's a natural 2nd baseman and would prefer to play there every day, and that was the Cubs original intent when they signed him. He was forced into the 'super sub' role due to other factors and excelled at it. Obviously the Phils don't need him to play 2B once Utley is back healthy, but he'll start for you SOMEWHERE almost every single day. I can see him taking over for Burrell. He's the one guy I would be really sad to give up in this deal. For Peavy it's worth it, but anyone that wouldn't want De-Ro on their team has never seen the guy play.

I think getting rid of DeRosa is a mistake, especially given the idea that we would do it with the mind to sign Bradley for Right field and then our starting middle infield would be fontenot and theriot, who are both average. Odds are that Bradley will get hurt, and we need to get a solid SS if we get rid of DeRosa and then platoon Fontenot/Theriot/New SS/2B at those three positions, with the idea that this new SS/2B will either be Brian Roberts or Rafael Furcal.

DeRosa being a local guy, I've followed him quite closely. I understand what he brings to a team. The words grit and leader come to mind. But we had a player like this, his name was Aaron Rowand. And we just won a championship without him. What DeRosa has is great, but it doesn't bring championships.

Plus we have more than enough gritty guys (Utley, Werth, Victorino) and one coming up in Donald. You might want to look 90 miles north, they could use some grit.

''I'm hearing it's a four team trade... with Pie and possibly Donald coming to the Orioles.. The orioles would send Olsen and Luke Scott to the Cubs, the Padres would send Chase Headley to the Phillies along with two minor league players. The Cubs would get Peavy and trade Vitters, Hart, Cedeno and Sean Marshall to the Padres. Good source in front office of MLB told me bout 20 mins ago that this is the latest.. He said the Orioles may have to send more to the Phillies tho..''

From what I'm looking at, the Padres would be sending Jake Peavy, Chase Headley, and two more prospects away to get those four Cubs prospects that they didn't even want in a deal only involving Peavy? Is this a joke, or am I missing something here?

And say what you want about DeRosa - I know he's not an all-star but he'd be a good fit in Philadelphia. Philadelphia could use him as insurance in the following cases: if Utley doesn't come back 100% after his surgery; if Rollins gets hurt again; to take at-bats from Pedro Feliz at third if he struggles; and to play either corner outfield position. He'd be a great pickup for Philly if they could get him, and this is coming from a fan of their biggest rival!

If the deal goes down like this:

Pie to O's for Olson
DeRosa and Marquis (eating $5M) to Phils for Happ and Coste
Olson, Happ, Marshall, Coste to Pad's for Peavy

I think it's a great trade for Hendry to pull off. It keeps Vitters, DeRosa will hurt next year, but it will give more at bats to Fontenot and the deal would be $ neutral to the Cubs in '09!

That would leave the cubs with ~$10M to spend for a LH OF'd and a LH reliever in '09.

Bourne's-
But is Happ really so great that he's not worth giving up to get all the DeRosa brings? (I'm not overly familiar with him.) I feel like you guys are viewing this negatively because it's helping the Cubs get Peavy and ignoring what you'd be getting.

Cubsfan,

To be honest we never really got to see Happ pitch consistently in the rotation, he was called up then sent down, then moved to the pen. IMO I would like to see what the kid can do throughout a full season.

Happ is definitely worth holding on to. He's a young, controllable SP who struck out more than a batter per inning over 528 minor league IP. I like him as our fifth starter, particularly when the alternatives are named Eaton or Kendrick.