Let the Peavy Sweepstakes Begin: Teams Likely to Land Jake Peavy

Positives:

Braves have a highly-rated farm system(6th overall according to Baseball America) headed by Tommy Hanson(Pitcher). However, the Braves have said that Tommy Hanson is likely off limits, but there are still other very good prospects that the Braves could deal.

Some of those prospects include: Jason Heyward (may also be off limits), Gorkys Hernandez (OF), and multiple pitching prospects(Rohbough,Locke, etc.).

Another positive is that Peavy would probably accept a trade to Atlanta considering the Braves would likely be competitive, it is a pitchers ball park and it is in the National League.

Negatives:

Negotiations between the Padres and Braves turned for the worst this offseason with the Braves upset with the way Kevin Towers handled things. So the Braves would have to likely be willing to look past that.

Another big issue could be money and whether the Braves would be willing to invest in Peavy. And finally there may be other key issues, like another middle of the order power hitter. They invested money in Kenshin Kawakami and Derek Lowe so there may not be that urgency there.

Positives:

Brewers are amongst the top ten in terms of their farm system. They can center a deal around prospects such as Matt Gamel (3B, and probably unlikely to get dealt), Alcides Escobar (SS), and Jeremy Jeffress (Pitcher).

The Brewers are also a National League team and as long as they remain among the top two or three in the NL Central, they should have a good chance of luring Peavy in.

Finally the organization claims that their focus is still on winning and if that is the case than the Brewers may be willing to spend the money necessary to get Jake Peavy.

Negatives:

Payroll may be an issue with the Brewers considering they were unable to re-sign C.C. Sabathia, although I suppose no one could match the contract the Yankees were willing to give him and the organization has claimed that they are still focused on winning.

The Brewers could also be better suited to go after more than one starting pitcher with their weak rotation, so they may look for two quality starters rather than one really good starter.

Another key factor is the injury of Rickie Weeks, which they could be looking for a replacement, which could decrease the chances of pulling of a deal for Peavy.

Positives:

The Phillies desperately need another starting pitcher and could easily be the front-runners. They have good solid prospects including Carlos Carrasco (Pitcher), Domnic Brown (OF), and Lou Marson (Catcher) just to name a few.

This is a top 15 farm system and should have enough good young prospects to make a deal go through. Philadelphia probably has enough financial stability too, to acquire Jake Peavy.

Negatives:

Peavy may not want to go to Philadelphia, because of the homer friendly ball park, Citizens Bank Park.

If the Braves, Cardinals, or Brewers decide that they really want Peavy, Philadelphia may have a hard time outbidding them.

And Philadelphia may need more than one starting pitcher, so they could be going after two starters at better/cheaper prices.

Positives:

Jake Peavy has reportedly expressed interest in becoming a Chicago Cub. They are a National League team, which is a big plus. And if they can get the ownership situation cleared up by the deadline, they may be able to make a deal.

Also if the Padres are interested in Major League- ready pitchers, then Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, etc may be what the Padres are looking for.

Negatives:

The farm system is pretty weak at the moment and it would not be a wise idea if the Cubs gave up their top prospect Josh Vitters (3B), who would more than likely have to be involved.

Cubs also don’t seem to have the great pitching prospects, although it is possible that the Padres may have some interest in Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, and Randy Wells.

The second thing that could stand in the way is the ownership situation, which still isn’t finalized.

And finally the Cubs don’t seem to be in dire need to get starting pitching with an already good rotation.

Positives:

The Cardinals are in the National League and there seems to be indications that Jake Peavy would in fact pitch in St. Louis. The health concerns of Chris Carpenter could force the Cardinals to pull the trigger and make such a deal.

They have the prospects to get such a deal done ranking in the top 10 in prospects. However, in order to get a deal done they may have to give up Brett Wallace(3B), but they may have others like Jess Todd (Pitcher) and Bryan Anderson (Catcher) that can get a deal done without giving up the top prospects.

Negatives:

The rotation has been looking better and they are getting Chris Carpenter back, so the need for a starting pitcher may not be there. The Cardinals may have greater needs, like on offense or possibly in the bullpen.

Also if the Padres ask for Colby Rasmus or Brett Wallace, the Cardinals may be turned away from such a deal. Payroll or an unwillingness to invest in Jake Peavy may be there as well.

Positives:

Clay Bucholtz is a big key that most teams seem very interested in. If the Red Sox decide they could use a guy like Peavy they could use Clay and some other prospects to build around.

They also have the money to be capable to make such a move and if they have problems with guys like Brad Penny, Tim Wakefield, and Jon Lester, they may feel inclined to make a move.

Finally they are a team that will more than likely be in the thick of things come the end of the regular season.

Negatives:

First off they are an American League team and Peavy has said he would like to stay in the National League. However, Boston is likely to be a playoff contender and that may be enticing for Peavy.

Boston is also pretty deep in starting pitching with John Smoltz on his way back and they themselves could decide that Clay Buckholtz is the better and cheaper answer than Peavy.

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