By Matt Valentine
In what I would deem a fairly surprising move, the Padres are considering moving ace pitcher Jake Peavy to the highest bidder.
Peavy, a Cy Young winner had somewhat of a down year this season with 10 wins and 11 loses, but performed quite well in every other pitching category. He had the third lowest ERA in the National League with a 2.85 and struck out 166 batters.
Peavy does have a no trade clause in his contract which could help him get his choice of team, but apparently his top five choices have not expressed enough interest to make them a viable option. Among Peavy’s top choices are Atlanta, St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs, the L.A. Dodgers and the Houston Astros.
Jake Peavy is on the trading block
Yet, none of these teams have made a viable offer and the Padres have begun reaching out to other teams. Of course, when any big name comes on the market the Yankees are always in the mix, but many believe that Peavy would not enjoy playing in New York or in the American League for that fact, and are unsure if he would sign off on a deal that sent him to the Yankees.
The Braves seem to be the team in the best position to make a deal for Peavy which would have to include some young pitchers and perhaps a few outfielders. The Braves have promising young talent in pitchers such as Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson and center fielders Jason Heyward and Jordan Scaefer. However, the Braves are reluctant to talk about dealing their best prospects.
Peavy is an extremely attractive trade option because he is under contract until 2013 and is just 27 years old. It is very rare that a pitcher of Peavy’s talent and youth is even considered trade bait, but many in the Padres front office feel the team needs to get younger now, and Peavy is their best bargaining chip.
Where Peavy will land is anyones guess, but one thing is for sure… it won’t be in San Diego.
