The rumor mill surrounding San Diego Padres Starting Pitcher Jake Peavy is starting to resemble the circus that Scott Boras created before the Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez.
On Wednesday, Padres General Manager, Kevin Towers, claimed in multiple media reports that he has identified a third team to make a deal happen with the Chicago Cubs.
This comes on the heels of Cubs Manager, Lou Piniella saying publicly that the Cubs no longer need another starting pitcher, specifically Peavy. Piniella specifically mentioned that he expected Cubs management to turn their attention to either a leadoff hitter or a left handed hitting outfielder.
Meanwhile, the Padres reportedly continue to court the Atlanta Braves as a possible suitor for the 2007 Cy Young award winner.
So what exactly is going on?
To an innocent bystander, it would appear that Towers is simply trying to field options to make a trade happen. But as the weeks pass and the reports continue to flow out of San Diego, indications point to Towers as trying to unload Peavy.
But where does he intend to move Peavy?
Upon deeper review, it appears Towers is trying to play the Braves into making a deal, one that would reportedly involve top-tier shortstop prospect Yuniel Escobar.
If there is a third team indeed available to make a deal happen with the Cubs, Towers is certainly not playing his cards very close to the vest. He hasn't named the mystery third franchise, but also has not closed the book on the Braves, who publicly walked away from the table with Towers a couple weeks ago.
The secondary level of these rumors, if Atlanta is indeed the intended destination, is the future of Khalil Greene in San Diego.
Greene, has shown flashes of power and Gold Glove defense, but had issues making consistent contact with the ball. Does he move to third base or the outfield? Or is he on his way out of San Diego as part of the Peavy trade or a subsequent move?
Towers holds the cards, and continues to openly flaunt the top talent of the franchise that is still under contract to any bidding team. He has already broken ties with closer Trevor Hoffman, and did so in a fashion that left the all-time saves leader in baseball history mad, and looking for a new home.
What he does next, and perhaps more importantly how he does it, could have a huge bearing on the next decade of baseball in San Diego.
3 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Brian Duckett 7 months ago
As a Braves fan, I would like three things to happen:
1) We trade for Peavy without giving up Hanson or Heyward
2) Make Peavy a Brave as soon as possible
3) If Peavy ends up on the Cubs or any team besides the Braves, I would like Chipper or Smoltz to stand up and rip Peavy and his agent a new A-Hole !!! Because I would then be 100% convinced Peavy and his agent worked cowardly behind the scenes to get a deal done without involving the Braves, AND wasted Frank Wren and the Braves precious time in a crucial offseason for this team !!
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Andy Miller 7 months ago
If you were Peavy and had the choice of going to a team that won 97 games in the prior season and has just won the NL Central in back to back years or going to the Braves, where would you go? Pretty easy decision to me.
Finally, a GM that's worse than Jerry Angelo! Here I thought Chicago was the only city to claim such an idiotic General Manager who sends great players to other teams with next to nothing in return. Oh, and our number one draft pick has yet to play a single down!
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TAB BAMFORD 7 months ago
Update: rumors came out of Baltimore today that the Orioles might be willing to trade a young pitcher to the Cubs for Felix Pie, thereby facilitating a Peavy trade. Garrett Olson for Pie and then onward to San Diego with... What for Peavy?
This maddens me on 2 levels. First, the Cubs would be moving Pie to Baltimore a year after they should have (for Roberts). Secondly, they would be tradoing a prospect for a good young arm that could help the Cubs, only to then move that arm with more prospects for a guy even Lou Piniella has said the Cubs don't necessarily need.
Intriguing, though
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