The Peavy Sweepstakes Vol. 8: Start-Over Edition

Padres General Manager Kevin Towers, on Friday, Nov. 14: "We've had advanced discussions with the Cubs and Braves, which are Jake's priority teams, but at this point in time, I do not see a potential deal with either club."

What?

It appears, according to various reports, that the Padres don't like what the Chicago Cubs have offered for Peavy, and the Cubs haven't been able to find a willing third part to make a deal happen.

Now, the Atlanta Braves apparently realized that they were about to part ways with one of the best young shortstops in baseball in spite of a deep free agent pitching class, and backed away from the table.

So if the Braves and Cubs are out, who become the potential landing spots for the 2007 Cy Young winner? Here are some teams that might get in the mix for Jake Peavy.

New York Yankees: Even after unloading a couple young arms in the trade for Nick Swisher, the Yankees are in the market for pitching. One piece that would likely take away from a trade to the Bronx happening could be the dollars allegedly offered to CC Sabathia (six years and more than Johan Santana's $137.5 million).

The money the Bombers are saving at first base by acquiring Nick Swisher versus what they would have potentially paid for Jason Giambi to come back or another free agent might mean Hank Steinbrenner feels he has spending room to trade for a pitcher like Peavy. Considering Peavy's salary the next couple seasons will likely be less than A.J. Burnett might command, the trade might actually save the Yankees money.

And, after all, they're still owned by a Steinbrenner.

Chicago White Sox: Peavy already said he would come to Chicago...so could the South Siders get in the mix on a potential deal? After trading Swisher to the Yankees, the Sox certainly have some young pitchers they could potentially deal.

Would the Padres have interest in Gavin Floyd as a centerpiece of a package? Floyd pitched very well last year for the White Sox, and has a lot of upside with a small salary ($400,000 in 2008 and he is not yet arbitration eligible).

The White Sox have been rumored to be shopping right fielder Jermaine Dye and at least willing to field offers for closer Bobby Jenks. Kenny Williams has been quoted as saying there isn't one player on the roster who is untouchable.

One would have to believe Carlos Quentin and Alexei Ramirez aren't going anywhere, but there are some talented younger position players in the Sox system that could fill out a deal. Brian Anderson, Josh Fields and now Wilson Betemit could all be part of a deal.

Texas Rangers: The Rangers have more good, young catchers than they know what to do with right now. They also have some talented position players that could be part of a package. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Frank Catalanotto, and Kameron Loe make under $5 million combined and could build a nice foundation in San Diego.

The problem with the Rangers has always been a lack of young pitching. Unless the Padres still think Brandon McCarthy is going to become a major league starter, the Rangers are fairly thin in the pitching department. 

San Francisco Giants: Even though they're in the same division as the Padres, a glance at their offense would lead even the most casual observer to believe that the Giants aren't ready to compete for a division championship.

However, they are loaded with young pitchers around 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. Matt Cain, Jake Taschner, and Jonathan Sanchez could all be put in a deal for Peavy, who would give the Giants three Cy Young winners on the same staff (Lincecum, Peavy and Barry Zito) in a pitcher-friendly park.

The reality for the Giants, however, is that they owe Zito almost $100 million over the next seven years, and they have no offense. Unless the Giants find someone to take Zito's contract, they likely will be spending what money they have available and trading their young talent for bats, not arms.

Milwaukee Brewers: If Prince Fielder was indeed on the trade block, this could make for an interesting scenario. The Brewers have a talented young group of players led by Fielder ad Ryan Braun, but are looking at going into next season without Sabathia or Ben Sheets.

They have openly coveted starting pitching and made a respectable offer to Sabathia. If Peavy likes Chicago, then why not pitch an hour north?

The problem for the Brewers is that Fielder plays the same position as Adrian Gonzalez, and he doesn't do it as well. If the Padres want pitching in returns, and that's what the Brewers lack, this is probably not going to happen with just two teams involved. Fielder's availability might be enticing enough to get a third team involved and make something happen, though.

Chicago Cubs: At the end of the day, Peavy has still named five teams he wants to pitch for, and only two came to the table. The Cubs might have actually helped their case to acquire Peavy by trading Jose Ceda, one of the better pitching prospects in the their system, for a closer in Kevin Gregg.

Gregg, though eligible for arbitration, might be a nice answer for the Padres now that Trevor Hoffman is gone. Couple Gregg, who has major league experience, with a couple young arms like Kevin Hart, Rich Hill or Sean Marshall might actually get it done.

The reality for the Padres is they have asked so much for Peavy that the only two teams Peavy would waive his no trade clause to play for have now backed away from the table. Now Towers has to compete with a deep group of talented free agents that won't cost teams young players to acquire.

As more time passes, the asking price for Peavy will likely come down, and as it does, watch for the Cubs to remain willing to talk.