All right, the White Sox and Padres have agreed on a deal that would send ace right-hander Jake Peavy to the South Side for four unnamed players. The holdup is Peavy has a full no-trade clause, which he is reluctant to waive.
Personally, I'd be surprised if Peavy comes here. He has a stated preference for pitching in the National League, and he'd be coming to one of the most notorious hitters' parks in baseball in U.S. Cellular Field. It would not be easy for him to duplicate the numbers he has put up with Padres if he were to come to the White Sox.
If Peavy turns this down, I'm sure some Sox fans will take it personally. I won't. I look at this the same way I do college recruiting. If Peavy wants to be here, I'll welcome him with open arms. God knows this White Sox team needs some pitching talent. Right now, the starting rotation is second-division material, and that is reflected in the results through the first 40 games of the season. If he doesn't want to be here, then don't come. That's his right.
Here's my question: Why did the Padres go to the trouble of scouting the Sox organization and negotiating a trade with GM Kenny Williams if they weren't sure Peavy would accept a deal? Seems like a lot of wasted effort.
UPDATE: No deal.
meh no loss, he wouldn't fare well in the AL especially at USCF
Not to mention, Peavy is 0-2 with a 12.10 ERA lifetime in the postseason.
Sounds like the perfect Cub. :)
Jake Peavy did everyone a huge favor.
1) I didn't think Peavy would work out in the AL. For one thing, it's hard for AL pitchers to make an adjustment to the NL especially right away.
2) When has Jake Peavy won a big game when it matters? I remember him pitching in Game 163 at Coors Field couple of years ago, and he got rocked hard by the Rockies in a game that his team needed him to pitch well and win. He didn't stay in the gamee for long.
3) Kenny Williams has a history of getting the best end of the deal while his trade partners get ripped off. I didn't think the Padres were getting anything special in return. He saved Kevin Towers from being ripped off.
I have to agree with Timberwolf, Jake Peavy would be destroyed in the AL
Why would you think Peavy would be "destroyed" in the AL? I'm sure he would probably have a higher ERA if he were in the AL -- most pitchers do. But I sincerely doubt a move from the NL to the AL would turn him from top-of-the-rotation material into crap overnight.
Here are the two real problems with Peavy:
1. He's overpaid.
2. He has a history of flaking out in big games.
We've heard a lot about the White Sox refusal to pick up Peavy's 2013 option as being a sticking point in the rejected deal. Really, I can't blame the Sox for that. Peavy isn't worth $22 million here in 2009. I have no reason to believe he will be worth $22 million in 2013.
But don't kid yourselves: If the Sox had acquired Peavy, it would have made an impact on the 2009 AL Central race. Of course, at the same time, it would have been a big long-term risk for the Sox because they would have given up all semblance of payroll flexibility by taking on such a hefty contract.
I'm going to have to backtrack on myself, what I should of said is, if the Cell wasn't a launchpad, then I think he would do well, but being a flyball pitcher at the Cell in the summer time agianst AL teams...makes ya wonder
I guess I'm a little miffed at how the Cell has gotten such a reputation as a graveyard for pitchers.
The Sox had three starting pitchers with ERAs below 4 last year, which I think is solid in the American League:
John Danks 3.32
Mark Buehrle 3.79
Gavin Floyd 3.84
In addition, the Sox pitchers as a group fared better at home than on the road:
2008 home ERA: 3.75
2008 road ERA: 4.50