Jordan Schafer Rumors

Jake Peavy Rumors: Friday

By Tim Dierkes [November 7, 2008 at 1:50pm CDT]

1:47pm: This Scott Miller column is from yesterday, but it has some good info. Miller’s source believes the Braves are the frontrunners for Peavy and are willing to include Gorkys Hernandez. Additionally, the source said the Cubs are very aggressive and the Dodgers are making a strong pitch.

12:53pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says Samardzija is not on the table and has a full, not partial, no-trade. Additionally, the Cubs have not thrown Fontenot into the mix. Miles gives a 50-50 chance of the Cubs getting Peavy.

9:39am: GM Kevin Towers expects to trade Jake Peavy before the winter meetings, saying, "The train’s kind of left the station." Continuing the metaphor, Barry Axelrod said, "The only thing we’ve got is a brake."

According to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, the Cubs have moved in front of the Braves in the battle for Peavy. Passan says the Padres want Jeff Samardzija (who has a limited no-trade clause), and the Cubs could also include players such as Felix Pie, Sean Marshall, Ronny Cedeno, Kevin Hart, and Donald Veal. Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests Rich Harden or Mike Fontenot could be involved. De Luca notes that a Peavy trade would probably prevent the Cubs from acquiring Brian Roberts. ESPN’s Buster Olney believes Josh Vitters would have to be involved, while the Daily Herald’s Bruce Miles adds Jose Ceda, Welington Castillo, and Mitch Atkins as possibilities. Miles does not see the Cubs as a player for C.C. Sabathia, by the way.

The Padres would prefer a deal with Atlanta, but can’t pry Tommy Hanson loose. The Braves are willing to trade Yunel Escobar, Charlie Morton, and Jordan Schafer.

Meanwhile, Tom Krasovic at the San Diego Union-Tribune says Peavy and Barry Axelrod are concerned about the Braves’ shortstop situation if they are to include the defensively-talented Escobar. Perhaps the Braves could sway them by outlining some contingency plans at the position.

Peavy Rumors: Wednesday

By Tim Dierkes [October 22, 2008 at 10:08am CDT]

Another day, another batch of Jake Peavy links.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to several executives. They expect Peavy will be traded to the Braves for Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schafer, and one of Kelly Johnson/Yunel Escobar. This scenario becomes more plausible to me if Johnson/Escobar is replaced with a lesser player. But, maybe I am misguided. Buster Olney also talked to execs who envision a Hanson/Schafer/Johnson package.
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune checked with Towers and Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod, and learned that Peavy has a clean bill of health. Krasovic also discusses Peavy’s violent delivery and minimal usage of his changeup.
Chipper Jones likes the idea of the Braves acquiring Peavy, and also would welcome A.J. Burnett as a teammate.
Axelrod agrees that the Braves are the frontrunner and the Astros may not have the goods for Peavy. He downplayed Peavy’s friendship with Roy Oswalt as a factor in his decision.

Peavy Rumors: Monday

By Tim Dierkes [October 20, 2008 at 9:16am CDT]

Let’s kick off the day with a roundup of Jake Peavy rumors.

Peavy is not a fan of the American League or New York, so don’t look for him to land with the Yankees or Mets. The Mets don’t seem interested anyway.
David O’Brien figures the Braves will have to surrender Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson, Tommy Hanson to get it done. Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein says Hanson flies under the radar a bit, as he belongs in any discussion of the game’s top pitching prospects.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Padres were doing a lot of background work recently on Braves center field prospect Jordan Schafer.
Despite Peavy’s wishes, the Padres have identified four possible AL trading partners for him: the Yankees, Angels, Rangers, and Red Sox. Peavy’s agent says he hasn’t closed any doors but the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman believes the Red Sox or Yankees would have to pay a steep price in extra compensation to entice the pitcher.

Odds and Ends: Pokey, Lowe, Boss

By Tim Dierkes [May 26, 2008 at 10:42am CDT]

Before you fire up the grill, check out these links.

Dayn Perry has an enjoyable series at Baseball Prospectus called Mock Blockbuster. He proposes trades that would benefit both teams. His latest: Greg Maddux and Brian Giles for Jordan Schafer.
Rays Index wonders whether Eric Hinske or Gabe Gross could be expendable once Willy Aybar returns.
Joe Capozzi remembers Mike Piazza’s five game stint as a Marlin.
Pokey Reese sighting!
Ned Colletti told struggling free-agent-to-be Derek Lowe the Dodgers aren’t slamming the door on him coming back.
The Red Sox signed an Australian teen named Boss Moanaroa.
Athletics Nation chats with Billy Beane.
Jerry Reinsdorf hasn’t ruled out re-signing Joe Crede after the season.
R.I.P. Geremi Gonzalez. I remember him as a bright spot on the ’97 Cubs. I mailed him a baseball card for an autograph, and it came back signed.