Jake Peavy Rumors: Thursday
2:05pm: Braves GM Frank Wren spoke to the AP today about the Peavy rumors. He still says the Braves will not trade their top prospects. He notes that much of the talk lately is based on questionable speculation by rival executives.
12:27am: Let’s kick things off with the freshest Jake Peavy rumors.
- Dan Hayes of the North County Times says "as many as 14 clubs" inquired about Peavy so far, with some teams taking an aggressive approach. Barry Axelrod and Kevin Towers want to slow things down now, have some meetings. A trade will not be announced during the World Series and is not likely until the November 3-6 GM meetings at the earliest. Axelrod and Towers again suggested Peavy could stay in San Diego.
- Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says at least three Padres scouts watched Braves pitching prospect Tommy Hanson in the Arizona Fall League recently.
- J.C. Bradbury explains that the only team that benefits from Peavy’s below-market contract is the Padres. Is it too early in the morning for econ?
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak "all but dismissed" the idea of being in the mix for Peavy. They have their ’08 rotation locked in, pending Chris Carpenter‘s health. They’ve already got more than $32MM committed to the current group of starters.
- ESPN’s Keith Law does not feel that a package of Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schafer, and one of Kelly Johnson/Yunel Escobar is a reasonable expectation for Peavy.
Peavy Rumors: Wednesday
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
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.
Cafardo’s Latest: Lowe, Maddux, Peavy
Here’s a look at the latest column from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Interestingly, the Red Sox are reportedly Derek Lowe‘s preferred destination. It’s unknown whether the Sox intend to add a starter this winter, but they may lose free agent Paul Byrd (and will have to decide on Tim Wakefield‘s $4MM option). Cafardo names a dozen other clubs interested in Lowe: the Yankees, Mets, Tigers, Indians, Cardinals, Cubs, Angels, Braves, Phillies, Rangers, Astros, and Blue Jays.
- Bill Mueller, 38 in March, admits he’d like to play again. Medically, it’s a long shot because he’d need to regrow cartilage in his knees.
- One of Greg Maddux‘s teammates feels he’ll retire. Maddux could return to the Padres as a player/coach (specifically, he’d prefer a bench coach gig).
- The Brewers as a sleeper for Jake Peavy? They’re not on his list, but he’s named other midwest clubs.
- Cafardo believes catchers Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez will be available this winter. Makes sense, given the weak free agent market at the position.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Peavy Suitors, Lowe, Cardinals, Marlins
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up, focusing largely on suitors for Jake Peavy, but also touching on some other news at the end… so let’s take a look!
- Rosenthal states that the following teams have been speculated to be suitors for the Padres’ ace: Braves, Angels, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Cardinals, Brewers, Rays, Rangers. While all of these are not serious possibilities, he elaborates on each team. He mentions Yunel Escobar as a likely centerpiece from Atlanta, and states that the Angels would love to acquire a frontline starter to allow them to send Ervin Santana and/or Joe Saunders to Colorado in a deal for Matt Holliday and/or Garrett Atkins. Rosenthal states that Howie Kendrick could be a big part of any trade, but his health seems like too serious of a concern to me. Rosenthal speculates on the possibility of a dominant rotation for the Yankees if they traded for Peavy and signed C.C. Sabathia. One rival executive’s speculative package for Boston included Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson. The Padres will likely charge the Dodgers considerably more for Peavy’s service, as they are division rivals. He lists Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy as a possible centerpiece for a Milwaukee blockbuster, but also points out that Ben Sheets has made the Brewers wary of injury concerns. The other teams don’t seem to match up well, in Rosenthal’s opinion.
- Rosenthal says that he was wrong in stating that Derek Lowe would prefer to remain on the West Coast. Lowe has now told him that he’d prefer to go East, with Boston being his top choice. He reiterated this desire to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.
- The Cardinals prefer a short-term solution for their closer situation, and will likely give Chris Perez the ninth inning job, or seek a lower-budget option through the trade market. They may also trade a young outfielder for an established bat at a corner OF position.
- Kevin Gregg is still likely to be traded (perhaps an option for St. Louis), and four teams have asked Florida about Jeremy Hermida. Rosenthal speculates that the Marlins will begin 2009 with Cameron Maybin in center field and Cody Ross in right.
Perrotto’s Latest: Peavy, Unit, Joba
John Perrotto has his Every Given Sunday column up over at Baseball Prospectus. Here’s some highlights from his "Rumors and Rumblings section" this week:
- Perrotto expects a Jake Peavy deal to be done before the Winter Meetings, stating that the Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers seem to be the leaders in the race right now. He notes that the Yankees will be willing to include Phil Hughes, while the Braves are willing to move Yunel Escobar. I personally like the Escobar idea for San Diego, as it would allow them to make Atlanta take on Khalil Greene’s salary. A package around Escobar and Tommy Hanson would certainly be tough to ignore.
- Perrotto reiterates that a move to the Dodgers or Angels for California-native Randy Johnson seems like a strong possibility. Johnson posted a fine season for the Diamondbacks, despite being 45 years old. He’s maintained a very solid strikeout-rate even at this stage in his career, fanning 8.46 batters per nine innings.
- The Yankees are planning on using Joba Chamberlain in their rotation next year, but are not planning on settling for what they have. Perrotto states that the Yankees will "go all-in" on the free agent market, making aggressive offers to C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Mark Teixeira. Add in the pursuit of Peavy, and decisions on numerous free agents, and it looks like a very busy offseason for the Bombers.
Latest Peavy Rumors
9:03pm: Lots of good stuff from yesterday’s San Diego Union-Tribune that we haven’t covered. First, Kevin Towers says he’s looking for young controllable pitching and then middle infielders in a package for Peavy. No mention of a center field focus, which had been mentioned previously.
Additionally, Towers explained that the Astros do not match up well given his stated desire for multiple young pitchers. So far the Braves look like the best fit.
On the Cardinals front, Joe Strauss says the team’s scouts met this week and are enthusiastic about pursuing Peavy. Strauss’s sources say Peavy’s availability "loosened the organization’s grip on younger talent." Viva El Birdos believes Peavy would cost top prospect Colby Rasmus and then some. Despite Towers’ stated focus on starting pitching, an offer including Rasmus would have to give him pause.
3:26pm: The latest from the Jake Peavy universe:
While the Astros were high on the list of contenders yesterday, MLB.com Astros beat writer Alyson Footer isn’t so sure. According to Footer, sources named the Dodgers and the Braves as the two teams drawing the most interest, and said a deal could be in place within a week.
12:00pm: We had a good running mill of Jake Peavy rumors yesterday, but the stove is still hot. According to MLB.com beat writer Mark Bowman, the Braves are preparing a pitch for the Padres ace.
Citing a team official knowledgeable on the situation, Bowman reports the Braves have already had preliminary discussions with the Padres to gauge what kind of package would have to be put together to land the former Cy Young winner.
At this point, writes Bowman, the Braves are essentially in a holding pattern, waiting for the Padres to consider other deals from other teams. And it might be a long wait.
According to the report, the package the Braves are preparing would include top prospects, but it could also be improved if either second baseman Kelly Johnson or shortstop Yunel Escobar are included. Bowman thinks the Padres would have to include Khalil Greene for the Braves to consider dealing Escobar.
Peavy has said he’d waive his no-trade clause to pitch for Atlanta.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 -at- umpbump -dot- com. Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bradley, Peavy, Young
A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse looks at Milton Bradley and sees a clubhouse cancer, but can’t ignore his .999 OPS and wonders if he is the answer in right field for the Cubs.
- Pinstripes Published takes a look at the crop of free agent starting pitchers and speculates on who will sign with the Yankees, with the most likely being C.C. Sabathia, Jon Garland and Ryan Dempster.
- Chop-n-Change takes a look at which prospects it might take to land Jake Peavy, and wonders if a package built around RHP Tommy Hanson and OF Jordan Schafer could get it done.
- Talking Chop does not want to the Braves giving up prospects for Peavy and would rather see the Braves acquire pitching through free agency.
- First And Goal From Second Base warns that it will be a mistake for the Twins to trade Delmon Young.
- Twinkie Town takes a look at which Twins free agents could return (Nick Punto, Dennys Reyes) and the rest of the Twins offseason.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Latest On Peavy
9:53pm: More from Olney. The Padres are aggressively shopping Peavy, with the Braves and Dodgers two possible suitors. Olney’s sources believe Peavy will be dealt "in the weeks ahead." The Padres want two young pitchers and a near MLB-ready center fielder in return. The Braves and Dodgers could both meet that demand.
7:07pm: O’Brien has a new article up; he says the Braves and Padres have discussed Peavy. Not much is known beyond that. Paul DePodesta offers his thoughts on the situation, basically explaining that any player should be available for a compelling return. Thus far, the Padres haven’t received a compelling offer for Peavy.
10:04am: It’s early in the process, but Jake Peavy‘s availability has baseball fans all worked up. As a reminder, Peavy prefers the NL. He specifically likes Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. He considers L.A. a particularly good fit and therefore is open to the Angels. Peavy controls his fate, as he has a full no-trade clause. On to today’s links:
- Dylan Hernandez reminds us that the Dodgers are on Peavy’s short list, and they could lose ace Derek Lowe.
- Dave Cameron looks at the numbers and questions whether Peavy will continue to pitch like an ace. Are the Padres selling high?
- You may recall Buster Olney’s rumor yesterday that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if that team is instead the Braves, offering Yunel Escobar.
Latest Peavy Chatter
10:39am: More from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Peavy has a strong preference for the NL, and wants to play for a winner. Axelrod mentioned Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis as cities that fit for Peavy and his family. Because of Peavy’s willingness to pitch in L.A., the Angels were named as a possibility by Axelrod.
8:27am: Let’s catch up on recent Jake Peavy articles. Dan Hayes of the North County Times wrote about Peavy Monday, quoting Padres GM Kevin Towers saying nothing is imminent. Hayes talked to several sources who say Peavy prefers to stay in the National League. The Padres have already approached him with hypothetical trade scenarios (Peavy has to approve any trade).
Regarding that no-trade clause – Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod is on record saying three AL teams could entice his client. But at the end of the season, Peavy said he wouldn’t accept a deal to the AL. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke to someone claiming to be an old friend of Peavy’s. The friend agrees that Peavy wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause for an AL team, despite his agent’s statement.
The friend gave O’Brien all kinds of info, making the Braves sound like Peavy’s top choice. O’Brien adds that the Braves let Towers know they’re interested. Even if Peavy is picky about his destination, though, there is no reason for Towers to accept a package that does not begin with Jason Heyward or Tommy Hanson. He has plenty of time to explore possible Peavy trades.
The Cardinals may also be in the mix, according to Buster Olney. Olney says that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal.