Jake Peavy told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he would ask for a trade if the White Sox decided to start the rebuilding process this season.

“I just want a chance to win,” Peavy said. “I believe it can happen here. I’m excited to be in the situation. Nothing’s changed just because we haven’t played well. I’m excited to be in a situation where you talk about it’s not going to be a rebuilding process. If that were the case, I would certainly try to be moved, but that’s the least of my worries.

“Obviously, something’s got to give,” Peavy said. “We’ve underachieved as a team, as a whole organization. I could not have imagined being in this situation at this point in the year, with what we came into camp with I was excited. Other than the captain [Paul Konerko] and Alex Rios I think everybody has had below their expectations this year. That’s unfortunate but the bottom line is it happened and you’ve got to be professional, you’ve got to battle through it and you’ve got to roll on. Like I said, we’ve still got a lot of baseball left to play and stranger things have happened as you know.”

I highly doubt that the GM Kenny Williams will blow everything up and start from scratch this season, even with the Sox’s current status in the AL Central. (They’re currently 9.5 games back of the Twins in the division and eight games below .500.) He may trade off one or two pieces, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t field a competitive roster in 2011.

The bottom line is that players have to step up. After turning in a promising performance last year as a rookie, youngster Gordon Beckham (.201 average) has really struggled this season. Carlos Quentin and A.J. Pirezynski also haven’t hit, and most of Chicago’s arms (Peavy, Gavin Floyd, Mark Buehrle, Bobby Jenks) have pitched like dung, too.

This club isn’t playing well right now, but even though changes are likely to be made, that doesn’t mean that Williams will dismantle the roster. When he traded for Peavy last year, he envisioned the former Padre headlining one of the best rotations in baseball. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s only June of Peavy’s first full year with the team. Even if the Sox don’t compete this year, it’s doubtful that Williams starts over heading into 2011.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/06/10/peavy-would-request-a-trade-if-sox-begin-to-rebuild/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/06/15/five-mlb-trades-that-don%e2%80%99t-need-to-happen/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/06/15/five-mlb-trades-that-don%e2%80%99t-need-to-happen/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:05:16 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=20047

I get it – baseball trades are fun. They’re fun to speculate about, they’re fun to debate and they’re fun to analyze. But just because a club needs a bat, an arm or is just looking to shrink salary, doesn’t mean that a trade needs to happen.

I’ve compiled a list of five trade rumors and where they originated. I then discuss why each of them makes sense, but why they also don’t necessarily need to happen.

Rumor #1: The Red Sox will trade for Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Why it makes sense: Boston is growing impatient waiting for Jed Lowrie to recover from a wrist injury that has held him out since mid-April. They’re also tired of watching Julio Lugo (who is equally bad offensively as he is defensively) make a mockery of the game whenever he trots onto the field. While Nick Green has done well filling in for Lowrie while he’s been hurt and for Lugo while he continues to work on being the most overpaid player in professional sports, the Sox feel they could do better with Wilson. (There’s also a rumor making the rounds that Boston wouldn’t have to give up any top prospects in order to acquire Wilson – they just would need to take on the rest of his salary.)
Why it doesn’t need to happen: Wilson is excellent defensively, but he brings very little to the table in terms of offense. He’s also overpaid himself, as he’ll make $7.25 million this year and $8.4 million in 2010 despite being limited at the dish. While waiting for Lowrie to return to the field has been a slow death for the Sox, he’s cheaper than Wilson and gives the team a better overall player at the position (when he’s healthy, of course). Plus, Green has played well and Boston might be better served holding onto prospects in order to make a more productive move around the trade deadline (i.e. adding another bat in case David Oritz plans on hitting south of .200 all season) than one involving Wilson.

Rumor #2: The Giants will trade for Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla (Sun-Sentinel)
Why it makes sense: The Giants are playing better than most expected this season, but they’re doing it all with pitching. They’ve surrendered the fewest runs this year (233), but have scored the third fewest (248) themselves. San Fran might not be able to catch the streaking Dodgers in the NL West (as of this writing, the Giants are seven games back of L.A. in the division despite being six games above .500), but if they continue to play well, the Wild Card is certainly attainable. But they need offense – badly. While Uggla’s batting average has been atrocious all season, he does have 11 home runs and 40 RBI so the thought is that he could add much-needed pop to the Giants’ lineup.
Why it doesn’t need to happen: Yes, the Giants do need offense. But don’t forget that they play in a pitcher’s park so even if they did acquire Uggla, who knows how his power would translate to AT&T Park. And his average is death so if he’s not going to hit home runs, he’s not worth acquiring (and don’t forget that his defense is brutal, too). The Giants’ current starting second baseman is Emmanuel Burriss, who has zero pop and has struggled at the plate despite tearing it up in the spring, but he has an outstanding glove and he’s young. It’s rumored that the Marlins would be looking for young pitching in exchange for Uggla, but it’s not worth it for the Giants to give up a young arm like Jonathan Sanchez (even though he’s struggling) to acquire Uggla while there are still options within the organization (and I don’t necessarily mean Burriss, who has been brutal, but Kevin Frandsen, who has been absolutely hosed by the organization this season). Plus, the Giants aren’t one bat away from making a deep postseason run – they’re two or three bats away. Acquiring Uggla isn’t going to change that. The Giants have also been linked to players like Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko and I would say the same thing about them as I do about Uggla – those players aren’t worth giving up young arms with the Giants still a year or two away from seriously competing. Unless they could get a young bat in a deal, San Fran GM Brian Sabean should stand pat and continue his rebuilding plan.

Rumor #3: The Cardinals will trade for Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Why it makes sense: Manager Tony La Russa desperately wants to add another bat to the lineup to help protect Albert Pujols and upgrading the left side of the infield while Troy Glaus and Khalil Greene continue to miss time is a necessity as well. Tejada would cover both needs as he’s hitting .344 with six home runs and some feel as though he can play third base if needed, although he has never actually played there before.
Why it doesn’t need to happen: First and foremost, there’s no guarantee that the Astros would want to trade within their own division. Plus, despite currently being three games under .500 and in last place, Houston is only four games back of the Brewers in the NL Central, so they’ll hang onto Tejada if they feel as though they have a shot at the playoffs (however slim those hopes may be). But looking at this from the Cardinals’ perspective, acquiring Tejada doesn’t make as much sense as going after someone like Cleveland’s Mark DeRosa, who is also rumored to be available. Tejada will earn $13 million in 2009 and is set to become a free agent in 2010. Chances are, St. Louis wouldn’t re-sign Tejada in the offseason and they’d probably have to pay Houston a premium because it would be a trade down within the division. Throw in the fact that Tejada isn’t that great of a defensive player and adding him makes little sense. A guy like DeRosa would still give the Cards a quality bat, a better defender who has actually spent time at third base, and cheaper player to boot.

Rumor #4: The Padres will trade Adrian Gonzalez (ESPN.com’s Buster Onley)
Why it makes sense: It doesn’t make sense unless you look at it from the view of the Padres’ front office, who wants to cut team salary significantly. (That’s why San Diego has been actively shopping Jake Peavy.)
Why it doesn’t need to happen: This is more of a notion than a rumor. As previously noted, the Padres want to cut salary but they’ve been unable to move Peavy, so speculation has it that they could wind up dealing Gonzo if the right trade comes along. But while cutting salary is important to the front office, GM Kevin Towers can’t just give up a young slugger like Gonzalez in a cost-cutting move. Obviously Towers would get a couple of prospects in exchange for Gonzo, but would he be willing to take a lesser deal just to free up some money? If so, that would be incredibly disappointing for a Padre fan base that has embraced Gonzalez and hopes that he’ll still be around when San Diego eventually is competitive again (whenever that might be).

Rumor #5: The Red Sox will trade Brad Penny (Boston Globe)
Why it makes sense: With John Smoltz set to come back soon from a rehab assignment, Penny will be expandable to the Red Sox, who have discussed moving him to the pen (despite his unwillingness) when Smoltz returns to the mound. Boston seemingly has an abundance of starting pitching and if they could get a couple of prospects or a position player of worth in exchange for Penny, why not move him?
Why it doesn’t need to happen: A lot has been made about Boston’s pitching depth, but things could go from good to ugly at the drop of a dime. Dice-K has been brutal and has already made one trip to the DL. Josh Beckett started off slow, recovered to pitch incredibly well over the last month but then was shelled yesterday in Philadelphia. Smoltz is set to return from his rehab assignment, but who knows how he’ll pitch once he faces major league batters again. So essentially yes, the Red Sox do have a ton of depth. But that could vanish in a heartbeat and while Penny has looked good in his last three starts, teams aren’t going to be willing to overpay for the 31-year old’s services – especially knowing that Boston has an abundance of arms. In the end, holding on to Penny for depth and in case of injuries to other starters might be worth it in the end. Of course, if some club offers a top prospect in exchange for Penny (which is doubtful), then all bets are off.

In a recent video blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney broached the topic of whether or not the Padres will trade young star Adrian Gonzalez and said that if they do, it’ll be during the winter.

Olney says that the Padres have already alienated their fans by letting closer Trevor Hoffman leave via free agency and by trying to deal ace Jake Peavy, so they don’t want to disrupt their loyal followers even more by dangling Gonzo on the trade market. Olney also noted that the Red Sox would be interested in Gonzo if he were available now, although he also stated that the Pads would get more in exchange for the slugger if they wanted until the offseason.

Even the thought of trading away a young bat like Gonzalez would be enough to send most Padre fans to their nearest psych ward. He’s their only slugger in a weak offense and he’s locked up until 2012. Why would San Diego deal a young productive player like Gonzo when they’re trying to rebuild in the midst of an ownership change?

The answer is that if the Padres were able to unload Peavy and Gonzo, they wouldn’t only save money, but they could also completely retool their farm system. Both players are in their prime, they’ve been incredibly productive so far this season and their trade stock has never been hire. Could you imagine the haul San Diego could bring in if they dealt both of those players? Along with picking No. 3 in this year’s MLB draft, the Pads could build a core in their farm system and compete for years to come, rather than struggle in a weak NL West for the next couple of years with Peavy and Gonzo on the roster.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Padres do around the trade deadline when contending clubs are desperate. Maybe Onley is right and they won’t make a move until this offseason, but if the right trade comes along in the next couple months, it might be hard for SD to sit on their hands.

If the Cubs are interested in acquiring ace Jake Peavy from the Padres, the clock could be ticking on the opportunity.

Peavy said he would waive his no-trade option to join either the Cubs or Dodgers, but San Diego seemingly doesn’t want to deal the ace to someone in their division, so that would leave Chicago as their best trade partner at this point, unless another team emerges (Milwaukee?) in the upcoming days/weeks.

But according to Daily Herald’s Barry Rozner, if the Padres can’t move Peavy’s contract off their books soon, then they might begin “offloading salaries” and if they do that, then they might as well just keep their top pitcher.

The Cubs and Peavy seem like an excellent match, but as I recently wrote in my latest column, if Chicago is going to trade for anything right now it would probably be another bat. Milton Bradley has been dismal, Aramis Ramirez is on the DL and Derrek Lee has been as inconsistent as ever.

The Cubs’ starters on the other hand, have been solid. Ted Lilly and Ryan Dempster have pitched well, Carlos Zambrano just got off the DL and Randy Wells has been a pleasant surprised as a fill-in for injured starters.

So why give up prospects to add Peavy to a rotation that’s already good enough to win? The timing is off for the Cubs, which means in the end they could inevitably pass on the opportunity to trade for Peavy.

The White Sox thought they had added an ace last week when they worked out a deal with the Padres that would have sent (among others) their top two pitching prospects – Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda – to San Diego in exchange for starting pitcher Jake Peavy. But with his desire to stay in the National League at the forefront of his decision, Peavy exercised his no-trade option and nixed the deal before it was completed.

Now that that deal has been squashed, where will Peavy wind up when the curtain closes on the 2009 baseball season? Or will he even be traded at all?

I’ve ranked the top 5 landing spots for Peavy and why each club will and won’t land the San Diego ace.

1. Milwaukee Brewers
Why they’ll land Peavy: If the Cubs’ offense continues to struggle, then Chicago will more than likely trade for a bat instead of adding another arm to its starting rotation. With the Cubs seemingly focused on their offense, a path could clear for the Brewers to make the Padres an offer for Peavy. Don’t forget that the Brewers surprised a lot of baseball pundits who believed they would never trade top prospect Matt LaPorta for ace CC Sabathia last season, but Milwaukee did just that. So while the Brewers don’t have the young pitching prospects that San Diego might covet, they certainly have a ton of young position talent that they could offer to pull off a deal. Plus, even though they lost Sabathia to free agency in 2009, Peavy would be under contract through the 2013 season, so at least the Brewers wouldn’t have to worry about giving up more top prospects for a pitcher that’ll walk again at the end of the year.
Why they won’t: After almost acquiring the White Sox’s top two pitching prospects, indications are that San Diego is looking for young arms in exchange for Peavy – which Milwaukee simply doesn’t have. The Brewers have a slew of young position talent, but outside of Jeremy Jeffress they don’t have many top arms in their farm system. If the Padres have their heart set on acquiring starting pitching, they’ll have to look elsewhere, because the Brewers just don’t have enough to make a worthwhile offer. Plus, a small market team like Milwaukee might eventually be scared away by the $63 million ($11 million is still owed to him in 2009) that remains on Peavy’s contract.

2. Chicago Cubs
Why they’ll land Peavy: Because outside of the White Sox, they’ve come the closest to landing Peavy to date. During baseball’s winter meetings in December, a rumored deal involving the Cubs, Padres and Phillies was reportedly on the table, with Chicago landing Peavy, Philadelphia acquiring Mark DeRosa and San Diego getting Jason Marquis and two pitching prospects from the Phillies. But the Cubs eventually walked away from the negotiation table because the Padres’ and GM Kevin Towers were asking for too much in return. But after their cross-town rivals the White Sox almost landed him, the Cubs might have been awoken to the possibility of once again pursuing Peavy. And considering they’ve lost seven in a row and just placed Rich Harden on the 15-day disabled list, the Cubs could use a shot in the arm like Peavy, because they’re certainly built to win now, not later.
Why they won’t: The Cubs current seven-game losing streak has nothing to do with their pitching staff – it’s their offense that has recently let them down. They’ve averaged less than 1.5 runs per contest over their last seven games and if they were to make a trade soon, it would probably be for a bat – not another arm. Plus, Harden’s injury isn’t considered to be serious and the club just got Carlos Zambrano back from the DL. Throw in the fact that Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster and even Randy Wells (who had been filling in for Zambrano and will remain a starter now that Harden has been placed on the DL) have been very good so far this season, and one would get the impression that the Cubs’ starting rotation is set this year.

3. San Diego Padres
Why they’ll hang onto Peavy: Everyone is assuming that GM Kevin Towers is desperate to trade Peavy, but that’s not necessarily the case. Remember, Peavy is already under contract through 2013, so it’s not like he’s a soon-to-be free agent and the Padres are scrambling to get something for him before he hits the open market. Plus, he’s pitching well this season and San Diego is currently one of the hottest teams in baseball. The Padres are not expected to be competitive for an entire season, but if they continue to win, Towers might not feel as inclined to deal his ace this year. (Or at least not before the trade deadline.)
Why they won’t: They might not be completely desperate to trade Peavy, but they are desperate to get the rest of his $63 million salary off their books. Peavy is still owed $11 million this season and another $52 million through 2013 and San Diego would rather free that money up as they try to rebuild through youth. If Towers could get two top pitching prospects and free up some salary, he’s going to jump at the opportunity just as he did when the White Sox offered Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda before Peavy exercised his no-trade option.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers
Why they’ll land Peavy: Considering they’re up against mostly Triple A teams in their division, it’s probably safe to assume that the Dodgers will win the NL West walking away. But pitching wins in the postseason and while the Dodgers’ starters have been absolutely phenomenal (they have a staff ERA of 3.74, which is the lowest in baseball), Peavy could put L.A. over the top. GM Ned Colletti at least has to kick the tires on a trade with San Diego, because a starting four of Peavy, Chad Billingsley, Randy Wolf and either Clayton Kershaw or Eric Stults would be deadly in the postseason.
Why they won’t: The Padres and Dodgers both play in the NL West and you just don’t trade within your division. Chances are, Padres GM Kevin Towers would ask for a small fortune in a deal with the Dodgers and therefore Peavy might not be worth the money and prospects for L.A. in the end.

5. Chicago White Sox
Why they’ll land Peavy: While rumors persist that he wants to stay in the National League, Peavy admitted that he and his agent aren’t closing the door on the White Sox, who were willing to give up two top prospects to acquire his services. If the Padres start to sink to the bottom of the NL West, maybe Peavy will get anxious to play for a contender and accept Chicago’s deal, which still stands assuming the White Sox are in contention themselves later in the season.
Why they won’t: Peavy seems pretty steadfast that he wants to remain in the NL and has already rejected the opportunity to join the White Sox. While it’s not completely unfathomable, it would be surprising if he changes his mind and accepted a deal to play for the Sox and in the AL.

Other possibilities: Braves, Astros and Cardinals.
Peavy mentioned these three clubs (along with the Dodgers and Cubs) as possible teams that he would like to play for if he’s traded, although the Astros and Cardinals would probably balk at the idea of taking on Peavy’s salary. The Braves could be a potential dark horse team considering they were already engaged in talks with the Padres over Peavy last winter.

Last season, the Brewers pulled off the biggest trade of the year in sending top prospect Matt LaPorta to the Indians in exchange for ace CC Sabathia. The trade catapulted Milwaukee into the postseason, even though it eventually led to them being bounced by the Phillies in the NLDS.

Fast forward to this season where the Brewers are currently in a first place tie with the Cardinals and at least one Milwaukee columnist thinks that the Brew Crew could once again swing a deal for a stud pitcher to lead them back into the postseason.

Whether the Brewers could come up with the players it would take to do such a deal is debatable. General manager Doug Melvin has said he has no inclination to trade his top two prospects, third baseman Mat Gamel and shortstop Alcides Escobar.

But keep in mind this regime has shown it will think out of the box. The Brewers did so when they traded top prospect Matt LaPorta and others for Sabathia, shocking the rest of the baseball world.
This is a team that fired manager Ned Yost with 12 games to go last season over fears he was making the team too tight and a team that offered Sabathia $100 million to stay before the Yankees blew that offer out of the water.

After watching the bench struggle for more than a month this season, a series of moves was made, signing veteran Frank Catalanotto to a minor-league deal, summoning Gamel to the majors and trading for San Diego outfielder Jody Gerut. More proactive moves from a proactive regime.

Rest assured that internal discussions about Peavy already have been held in the Brewers’ offices. You can bet closer Trevor Hoffman has told his former teammate about the close-knit clubhouse. Word has it that Ryan Braun and Peavy even exchange e-mails.

Perhaps the Brewers’ biggest competition for Peavy (presuming of course that Milwaukee is seriously interested in the San Diego starter) will be the Cubs, who were hot after Peavy this offseason before eventually walking away from negotiations. Rich Harden was just placed on the disabled list with back problems and ace Carlos Zambrano has already paid a visit to the DL once this year.

But the problem with assuming the Cubs are still interested in Peavy is that they desperately need a bat more than another arm. This is a club marred in a seven game losing streak in which they’ve averaged less than 1.5 runs per game in that span. Plus, truth be told, the Cubs’ pitching staff has been pretty good as is, getting quality outings from Ted Lilly (who has been their most reliable starter so far), Ryan Dempster and even Randy Wells, who has been solid filling in for injured starters. Would the Cubs be more inclined to deal for another pitcher rather than a much-needed bat? It’s possible, but unlikely.

That said, the Brewers could have a clear path to Peavy if they could put a decent trade package together on their end. With their lineup, Peavy could possibly give Milwaukee a significant edge over the Cards and Cubs in the NL Central.

It looks like the White Sox won’t be getting the pitching help they need after all.

The White Sox were able to strike a deal with the Padres for ace Jake Peavy, but Peavy exercised his no-trade clause to officially veto the deal before it could be completed. Peavy cited his desire to remain in San Diego as the main reason he nixed the trade, but many believe he doesn’t want to leave the National League either.

The conspiracy theorist in me questions whether or not this was a move to wake up the Cubs, who were hot after Peavy in the offseason but eventually walked away from the negotiation table with the Padres. Did San Diego GM Kevin Towers pursue a deal with the White Sox in an attempt to get the Cubs back into trade negotiations?

Think about it, if Towers knew that Peavy would never agree to join an American League team, then he could pursue a deal with the White Sox to piss Cub fans off and maybe get GM Jim Hendry to come back to the negotiation table. The trade attempt would also show the Cubs that Peavy is still available.

Again, this is just speculation on my part and my attempt to think outside of the box. The deal with the Sox could have very well been legit and had absolutely nothing to do with the Cubs. But if Towers has his eye on a prospect or two in the Cubs’ farm system, wouldn’t it be sly of him to use the White Sox as patsies to get the Cubs back into negotiations?

And isn’t it ironic that the day before Peavy rejects a trade to join the White Sox, the Cubs are in town for a three game set with the Padres?