The Peavy Sweepstakes Vol. 5: The Chicago Cubs

There is a mega pitcher on the trade market this winter by the name of Jake Peavy. The former Cy Young winner and current San Diego Padre has reportedly named five teams for whom he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause: the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs.

In this fifth and final edition of a five-part series, I will look at who the Cubs have in place, who they are losing to free agency, and what pieces they have that might entice the Padres to move Peavy to Chicago.

Who's Staying

Perhaps most importantly in this discussion is that General Manager Jim Hendry will be back in 2009. Hendry has shown a willingness to make a big deal on occasion (Nomar?), and has consistently found ways to bring impact players to Chicago through trades.

In the dugout, Lou Piniella has two years left on his current deal to make the magic happen that he promised at Wrigley, and he will certainly have a roster full of horses to do it with next year.

Back on the mound to potentially surround Peavy would be Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, and 17-game winner Ted Lilly. In the bullpen, Carlos Marmol, Jeff Samardzija, Neal Cotts, Sean Marshall, and Kevin Hart all have good, live arms.

The batting order could potentially have very little change. Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Theriot, Alfonso Soriano, Mark DeRosa, Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto, and Kosuke Fukudome are all under contract for 2009 from the opening-day roster in 2008.

Who's Going

There aren't a lot of free agents from the 2008 Cubs, but the players that could be available were major parts of the Cubs' success last year.

Closer Kerry Wood, All Star Ryan Dempster, surprise center fielders Reed Johnson and Jim Edmonds, and respected backup catcher Henry Blanco are all free agents. Also potentially leaving this winter are Chad Gaudin, Bob Howry, and Darryl Ward.

One key decision this winter for the Cubs will be in center field, where prospect Felix Pie is out of minor-league options but has not looked ready for the big leagues in his limited action at Wrigley.

Fan favorites Wood and Johnson could be back, with perhaps the largest defection payday going to Dempster after a remarkable bounce back season.

Who's Available

Where do we begin? If the Padres indeed want a young pitcher in return, the Cubs can offer from a list that includes Marshall, Hart, Rich Hill, Donnie Veal, and Angel Guzman.

Young position players that could become available include highly-touted third baseman Josh Vitters, who has Ramirez as a concrete ceiling blocking his ascent to the majors. Similarly, young first baseman Micah Hoffpauir put up huge numbers between Triple-A and Chicago last year, but has Lee keeping him out of the lineup.

Pie and Fukudome could also be available, as the Cubs have minor-league outfielder Tyler Colvin getting closer to being big league ready.

The Verdict

The Cubs have perhaps the largest vested interest in the Peavy sweepstakes. I won't mention the 100 years without a championship issue, but consider the list of teams Peavy has interest in joining. Of the other four teams, two are in the Cubs' division and one of the others knocked the Cubs out of the playoffs this year.

The Cubs have plenty of talent to make a deal happen, but there is a cloud of potential ownership changes hovering over any deals Hendry could make to add money to the payroll.

If the Cubs don't make a deal for Peavy, they should certainly be involved to ensure the ace does not end up in their division.

Odds of a Peavy trade: 30 percent