The Deal Jim Hendry MUST Be Involved In

It has been revealed in the past couple days that former Cy Young winner and current San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy is on the trade market. Peavy has a contract that keeps him in whatever uniform he's wearing through 2013, but this contract has a no trade clause.

Peavy has provided the Padres with a list of five teams he would be willing to play for: Atlanta, St. Louis, the LA Dodgers, Houston, and the Chicago Cubs.

As the Cubs prepare for their annual organizational meetings, as soon as his own contract extension is squared away, General Manager Jim Hendry absolutely, positively must get the Cubs involved in the sweepstakes for Peavy.

My wording is very specific. The Cubs must be involved in the sweepstakes. I am not saying the pipe dream of Zambrano, Harden, and Peavy could happen. Considering the money involved in the deal, it probably shouldn't and, with the sale of the franchise continuing to drag on, more than likely won't happen.

But examine the list of teams, all perceived as "contenders" by Peavy, to whom Peavy would accept a deal. The Los Angeles Dodgers are fresh in Cubs fans' memories—the knocked the Cubs out of the playoffs with superior pitching and clutch hitting.

The Atlanta Braves were a bit of a surprise on this list because they fell so far off the map in the National League East this past season. However, with Tim Hudson and John Smoltz potentially back next year, adding Peavy would give them a lethal rotation.

However, it's the other two teams on the list that should be not only of notice, but a significant concern to Hendry and the Cubs' braintrust.

The St. Louis Cardinals were a pest in the National League Central this year, hanging around the top three spots in the division and the Wild Card race until the middle of August. They achieved this with former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter out most of the season hurt and Adam Wainwright bouncing on and off the disabled list.

Tony LaRussa may have turned in the best managing performance of his career turning what was predicted to be an afterthought in the division into a contender for most of the season.

The Houston Astros have been an enigma in the division for most of the past decade. Roy Oswalt has the stuff to be among the greats in the game, but has yet to win a Cy Young award or truly take the role of ace. Since Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite left Houston, they have struggled to put together a full rotation.

They do, however, have one of the more potent batting orders in the National League, featuring Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee.

It is in the Cubs best interests to keep Peavy out of either of these cities.

San Diego is in a rebuilding mindframe right now, which is why their marquee starter is on the block. They have a solid nucleus of players, with Adrian Gonzalez locking down first base and Khalil Greene playing a very exciting shortstop. Chris Young missed some time this past season for a number of reasons, one of which was an Albert Pujols line drive off the beak.

When looking at the rosters of the other teams named by Peavy, and the depth of the farm systems of each team, the Cubs would appear to have the most to offer. Micah Hoffpauir, Mike Fontenot, Jason Marquis, Felix Pie, and Sean Marshall could all be names thrown around in potential trades. But whether or not the Cubs are willing to mortgage the future to the extent that the Padres will likely ask is to be determined.

When examining a best case scenario for San Diego, it might end up being a three team deal that move Peavy this winter. This is where the Cubs can help themselves the most. If a team like the Colorado Rockies or Braves wanted to enter the mix, they might not possess the prospects to make the deal happen alone.

But if the Cubs can effectively keep Peavy out of their division, it is worth inquiring and keeping the phone on.

I will, however, for the sake of that every-present Cub fan pipe dream, offer one trade for the sake of discussion.

The Padres send Peavy and Khalil Greene, for whom Jim Hendry has shown affection at each of the past two trade deadlines, to the Cubs for Harden, Marquis, Pie, and Ryan Theriot.

Why would the Padres do this deal? They get a very good pitcher in Harden, and a durable one in Marquis. They get a shortstop in return that gets on base and can run, and stays healthy. And, finally, they get the centerfielder of their future in the raw Pie, a left handed speedster who would fill the vacancy on their roster left when Jim Edmonds didn't show any signs of having gas left in his tank last year.

Why would the Cubs do this deal? Peavy has a contract that has four more years on it, while Harden has one. Peavy also has a stronger physical history than Harden does. As I have already mentioned, Hendry has shown interest in Greene before and may have run out of patience with Pie and Marquis.

Will is happen? Probably right after Satan throws a snowball...but it's worth the dream, isn't it?

The important piece of this story is that Jake Peavy, one of the best pitchers in baseball, wants to play for a contender in the National League, and the Cubs cannot afford to see him pitching in their division for the next four seasons.