Would Peavy Play In Philly?
Sorry, we don't have the answer yet. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki posed the question to Jake Peavy's agent Barry Axelrod, and Axelrod said:
"I have not discussed Philly with Jake because nobody has asked us to discuss Philly. He has a strong preference to play in the National League. He also wants to play for a contender. Both of those two things play into Philly's hands. The personnel is awesome. If there is one downside, it's the geographical difference for him, given that he has made his family home in the San Diego area."
Axelrod didn't talk about his client pitching in a hitter's park, which has to be a consideration as well. Do the Phillies have the goods to pull off a deal? I think so. Pitchers such as Kyle Drabek, Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Kendrick, and J.A. Happ could be appealing to the Padres to various degrees. And Jason Donald could help the Padres. Talking to David Murphy, Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. admitted he'd like the improve his pitching and add a bench bat.
As far as Peavy to the White Sox, the pitcher's former teammate Scott Linebrink believes that deal is dead (they spoke about a week ago).
Odds & Ends: MacDougal, Maddon, Brazell
Memorial Day linkage…
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson says it's decision time for Mike MacDougal and the Nationals.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune transcribed comments made by White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf to ESPN 1000's Chuck Swirsky. Reinsdorf said the Sox are moving on from the Jake Peavy deal and also implied that no one is untouchable.
- Joe Maddon's three-year extension with the Rays is official.
- Craig Brazell agreed to a deal with the Hanshin Tigers, according to reports gathered by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Brazell had been playing for the St. Paul Saints after nothing materialized from an Orioles spring training invite.
- Murray Chass talks about Jeff Moorad's path to becoming part-owner of the Padres.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes about the D'Backs, who have seven of the first 64 draft picks.
- Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has an interesting article about minor league free agents.
What We Know About Peavy And The Padres
The trade that nearly sent Jake Peavy to the White Sox has provided lots of rumors to sift through and lots of opinions to mull over. Now that the frenzy's over let's lay out what we actually know:
- Peavy will make $15MM next year, $16MM in 2011 and $17MM in 2012. There's a club option for $22MM in 2013, with a $4MM buyout.
- The Padres want to move him because he's expensive, but he has a full no-trade clause this year.
- Peavy says he's "not closing the door on anything" with the White Sox, according to Bernie Wilson of the AP.
- Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune says the White Sox are leaving the deal on the table in case Peavy changes his mind.
- Peavy sounds open to the possibility of being traded, hinting that he'd consider moving to another city.
- Cities in "Middle America" are more appealing to Peavy, as SI.com's Jon Heyman reported yesterday. Also, he prefers the National League.
- As ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports, the Cubs still have interest in Peavy.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune suggests that the Cubs could pursue Peavy if their ownership transition progresses before the end of July.
- For what it's worth, Peavy praised Cubs fans and the organization.
Williams On Peavy Deal, Next Steps
MLB.com's Scott Merkin spoke with White Sox GM Kenny Williams about the team's plan in the aftermath of the Jake Peavy deal that never happened. Some highlights:
- Williams said "a number of clubs" are trying to obtain White Sox starters, particularly their young ones. However, he said "it's not happening. We've got faith in John Danks and Gavin Floyd."
- Williams said he wants to improve the White Sox, but he doesn't sound confident that he can find the necessary players and trading partners easily.
- Sounds like the Sox have financial flexibility. At least taking on Peavy's salary was "not too much of a stretch."
- Williams said he doesn't begrudge Peavy for not accepting deal.
- There's no Plan B for the White Sox right now, but Williams said he's working on it.
Gammons On Peavy, Greene, Holliday
More rumors from ESPN.com's Peter Gammons in his latest column:
- Gammons says it made sense for Kenny Williams to try to deal for Jake Peavy because the AL Central is winnable and Gordon Beckham wasn't part of the deal.
- Gammons expects teams to be wary of no-trade clauses after seeing Peavy thwart the Padres' plans to deal him.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo wants to deal now, while more teams are in the pennant race and remain possible buyers.
- Rizzo would like to improve his bullpen, which has an ERA nearing 7.00.
- The Red Sox want to wait on David Ortiz and plan on giving him the chance to start hitting. He finally homered this week, but has struck out in seven of his last 20 plate appearances.
- Gammons believes it makes sense for the Cardinals to see if the Red Sox have interest in Khalil Greene.
- Billy Beane may face a limited market for Matt Holliday if he decides to trade the left fielder in July.
Jake Peavy Not A Fit In Boston
In the aftermath of the failed White Sox-Padres swap that would have sent Peavy to Chicago, there are other reactions from around the majors:
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki wonders if it would be smart for the Phillies to acquire Peavy. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. declined to comment on the chances of making such a deal happen.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Cubs GM Jim Hendry didn't comment when asked about re-starting talks to acquire the righty. Ryan Theriot sounds excited about pursuing Peavy.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes that Peavy made the right call, since the White Sox are no sure thing.
Jake Peavy Will Not Accept Trade to White Sox
6:10pm: Ken Rosenthal argues that Peavy's decision to nix the deal was justified, saying, "If I were Jake Peavy, I would not go to the White Sox."
Rosenthal thinks back to the offseason, when the Padres "blew two chances" to trade Peavy. "The Braves clearly offered a better package than the White Sox. The Cubs' deal might have turned out better, too." He writes tha the longer the Padres take to deal Peavy, the less they will get in return.
Rosenthal has doubts about the White Sox's ability to compete in the future, and he says that this may have been on Peavy's mind when he rejected the trade.
5:53pm: Jon Heyman writes that Peavy will speak to the media shortly after 6pm CST. He also mentions that the White Sox were asked by the Padres earlier in the day if they had "any ideas on how to persuade" Peavy to accept the deal.
5:41pm: Joe Cowley and Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times are reporting that sources close to Peavy say that he has notified the Padres that he will not accept a trade to the White Sox. Peavy talked it over with his family and decided not to make the move. Manager Ozzie Guillen admitted he was surprised the Sox were willing to take on the $60MM commitment.
5:25pm: Via Twitter, Jon Heyman reports that the White Sox will not try to convince Peavy to agree to the deal by committing to pick up the $22MM option in his contract for 2013. This is still in Peavy's hands.
1:27pm: Gonzales has more from Linebrink about his conversation with Peavy. Linebrink didn't see the AL/NL thing as a big concern for Peavy.
Also, Diamond Leung passes along a Ned Colletti interview with Dan Patrick today. The Dodgers GM spoke to Towers about a Peavy trade as recently as a month ago but the asking price was too high. Meanwhile the Red Sox have not been involved, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
12:47pm: Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says Peavy will likely not be traded to the White Sox, presumably because he'll veto the deal if it reaches that point. Krasovic notes that in addition to Poreda and Richard, Lance Broadway has been discussed.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times explains why the trade would make sense for the Sox and why it wouldn't.
12:21pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says beyond Poreda and Richard, the Padres would choose two players to be named later from a list of four. Axelrod explained the situation to Rosenthal:
"Approval or disapproval is not necessarily black or white. Depending on what is involved could make it more desirable or less desirable. There may be certain things he has to have as conditions. We're not near the point of talking about that, what he would want to see adjusted if he were to approve."
11:52am: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick talked to Axelrod, who gave the impression that Peavy is leaning against accepting the trade:
"If I had to make a bet on it, I would guess that Jake would say he's not ready to take that step today. But he wouldn't necessarily preclude it at any time in the future."
Peavy maintains his strong preference for the NL.
11:31am: Brock talked to Peavy's agent Barry Axelrod. Axelrod hasn't spoken to Peavy yet today, but was asked by the Padres "about Jake's feeling about the possibility of (playing for) the White Sox."
10:11am: ESPN's Peter Gammons says Beckham is not part of the deal. CBS' Danny Knobler says it would be Poreda, Richard, and one or two others. The others would also be pitchers, says Knobler. Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the White Sox have agreed to send four pitching prospects including Poreda and Richard.
ESPN's Bruce Levine talked to White Sox pitcher and former Peavy teammate Scott Linebrink, who gave Peavy a 50-50 chance of accepting the deal.
9:39am: MLB.com's Corey Brock and Scott Merkin say Poreda and Clayton Richard are believed to be part of the deal.
9:19am: Jon Heyman says the White Sox and Padres have agreed to a Peavy trade, and await the pitcher's approval. MLB.com's Corey Brock agrees. Ken Williams, always operating under the radar. Now we get to see just how much Peavy hates the AL.
Peavy is owed an additional $8.35MM this year, $15MM in '10, $16MM in '11, $17MM in '12, and a $4MM buyout for '13. Total: $60.35MM guaranteed through 2012. It is surprising to see the White Sox willing to take on such a commitment to a pitcher.
No idea if he's involved, but yes, the Sox could trade Gordon Beckham in this deal as a player to be named later.
9:09am: Via Gonzales on Twitter: "Waiting for approval from Peavy on SD trade, according to source."
6:51am: Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that the Padres are in discussions to send Jake Peavy to the White Sox.
According to Padres personnel, Peavy met with Padres manager Bud Black late Wednesday night to discuss a trade overture from the Sox.
It is apparently a four-player offer, which would presumably gut Chicago's farm system. Peavy would have to approve any trade and according to Krasovic Peavy is telling people that the trade is "something to think about." However, Krasovic says Peavy "may have reservations about pitching for Ozzie Guillen."
MLB.com's Corey Brock asked Peavy about the rumor. He said, "I only know what you guys [media] know." Brock expects the Padres would require a frontline pitcher like Aaron Poreda. Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald makes the Poreda link as well, but finds Peavy's contract prohibitive. Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says the Padres had a scout watching the White Sox last weekend in Toronto. Meanwhile, SI's Jon Heyman says Peavy still prefers the West or Midwest and the NL. Heyman likes the Cubs or Brewers.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here. Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.
Stark On White Sox, Bedard, A’s, Penny
A new Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark…
- Even if they don't acquire Jake Peavy, the White Sox are apparently "open for business." Stark takes that to mean names such as Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Octavio Dotel, and A.J. Pierzynski could hit the market.
- The Mariners are not quite yet at the point of making Erik Bedard available. They figure to price him like an ace if they do so.
- If A's GM Billy Beane decides to fold on 2009, he could make veterans such as Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera, Jason Giambi, and Russ Springer available.
- It's very unlikely that the D'Backs shop Brandon Webb this summer, since he'll be coming off a shoulder injury.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro seems to be leaning toward hanging on to Cliff Lee for now. Shapiro may look to add pitching by trading Mark DeRosa or an outfielder.
- The Red Sox are "actively listening" on Brad Penny. My opinion: the Phillies, Indians, White Sox, or Mets could make sense.
Odds And Ends: Jones, Peralta, Liriano
Lins for Saturday morning…
- As ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports, Adam Jones is pleased that the Orioles have so much pitching approaching the majors, but he wants to win now.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci calls Jones baseball's most improved player and breaks down the outfielder's hot start.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Jhonny Peralta is playing third base for now.
- Rob Neyer of ESPN.com writes that there are no guarantees for Francisco Cervelli once Jose Molina and Jorge Posada are fully healthy.
- Neyer adds that the Twins need Francisco Liriano to take his game to the next level and regain the form that saw him dominate the American League in 2006.
- In a third piece, Neyer weighs in on the White Sox, concluding that there's no reason to panic in a division that the Sox could take with 85 wins. Still, the team has issues in center field and in the middle infield.
Discussion: White Sox Offseason
Up for discussion next, the offseason of the Chicago White Sox. Sun-Times writers Joe Cowley and Chris De Luca have differing viewpoints on GM Ken Williams' work.
The points to argue:
- White Sox second basemen (mainly Chris Getz and Brent Lillibridge) are hitting .233/.313/.302 this year. Should Williams have acquired a veteran? Cowley mentions Orlando Hudson, who would've cost the team's #23 pick.
- Did Williams make a mistake in not acquiring a leadoff hitter and/or center fielder? The Sox have tried Getz, Lillibridge, Jayson Nix, and others leading off, resulting in a .289 OBP. In hindsight the better #1/2 hitters available were probably Felipe Lopez (a Scott Boras client), Willy Taveras, Coco Crisp, Hudson, and Freddy Sanchez. It's been Brian Anderson, Scott Podsednik, DeWayne Wise, and Lillibridge in center field; the free agent market was weak.
- Should the White Sox have made an effort to mend the relationship and re-sign shortstop Orlando Cabrera? They did offer him arbitration, but with the expectation he'd decline.
- Should the Sox have gotten more than Wilson Betemit, Jeff Marquez, and Jhonny Nunez for Nick Swisher and Kanekoa Texeira? Or should they have kept Swisher?
- How about Javier Vazquez, who was dealt with Boone Logan for Tyler Flowers, Jon Gilmore, Santos Rodriguez, and Lillibridge? The Sox replaced Vazquez with Bartolo Colon.
- Should the Sox have tried to hammer out a deal with Boras to retain Joe Crede? The third baseman jumped to the Twins for a $2.5MM base salary and is hitting .237/.302/.454 in 106 plate appearances with stellar defense.