There has been talk for a long time about the braves maybe going after Peavy at some point in free agency or a trade. After signing his new 4 year deal those rumors were put to rest but after the Padres horrid season and now having placed Peavy out there for trade talks i think it is more than realistic to think the braves will aquire Peavy this offseason. Peavy is from alabama and said he would want to pitch for atlanta and therefore would waive his no trade clause and the braves have the minor league talent and the money to get Peavy, not to mention a dire need for starting pitching. I found this article on the braves website that was posted before it became official that the padres were trying to move Peavy. http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article...sp&c_id=atl

ATL is a good fit, but at 3 years and pretty reasonable prices, they're going to have pony up at least 2 very good prospects (think Schafer/Lillibridge, or if the Friars go for the gold, Heyward/Lillibridge) to ensure they get him. Otherwise, I can see the major buyers getting involved in a bidding war to get Peavy.

i don't think the braves would be willing to ship out the required young talent to make this happen so soon after dealing a boatload of youth (i.e. salty, andrus, feliz, harrison, and jones) for tex

Please, God! Don't let Peavy get traded to Atlanta. PLEASE!!! Haven't his dynasty owners suffered enough? Hasn't HE suffered enough?

I believe the braves would be more willing than you think. This isnt just a one year thing Peavy has 4 years left on a very reasonable deal in which he should be in his prime (27-31 years old). Its hard enough trying to find a pitcher as good as Peavy let alone one with a reasonable deal. The braves have absolutely no pitching, this would be huge for them. Lillibridge, B. Jones, C. Morton, are all guys that for some reason teams seem to think are good and they havent proved anything yet and don't really have a place on the major league roster you can throw them into the deal with a top prospect and I think you have the Padres interested because they need help at alot of positions.

do you think the braves are going to part with heyward? if you don't then you can forget about peavy, cause a B grade prospect like lillibridge, jones, or morton isn't going to centerpiece this deal.......you can offer up all the quantity B guys you want, but the bottom line is the pads would want heyward in any trade involving peavy, as well they should

if the braves didn't shoot their load in the tex deal they'd have a bullet beyond heyward to build this trade around, but the fact is they fired them all and there isn't much left that would entice SD.....and they won't move heyward, you can bank on it

if the pads are serious about moving peavy (which i'm not convinced of at this point - as you pointed out, his contract is very reasonable) there will be no shortage of teams who will offer up packages centered around a "heyward" type prospect.......the pads will want quality AND quantity, not a handful of B graders

I'm not sure Peavy's the answer...But I can assure you this, the Braves will land one of the big time FA SPs. I would personally pass on CC and would much rather have AJ. I'm not sure I'm willing to give up the prospects for Peavy. However, a rotation of Peavy, Hudson, Campillo, and Jurrjens looks solid. The 5th rotation spot will be up for grabs. Parr, Hansen, Morton, Jo Jo Reyes, Glavine and a few others are candidates. If the Braves did get Peavy, I'd be excited for sure, but I'd also keep the long term implications in sight. The Braves have already given up a lot for Teix only to trade him the following year. While Salty hasn't impressed much, Andrus is the one I'm keeping an eye on.

Who are some of the other teams that would want Peavy?

To answer the question better, maybe some clarification is in order:

1. The Friars are not in any hurry to trade Peavy, with 3 more years left on the contract (so this isn't Johan v2).

2. With Peavy's no-trade clause, it will limit the market to a degree.

3. With CC/AJ/Sheets on the FA market, I bet we won't see much action on Peavy until that market prices itself.

BUT, once #3 happens, and the >15M per year mark gets tossed around (which I'm sure it will, probably closer to 20M for CC and 15+ for the other 2), well, Peavy's controlled 3 years at below-market value, well it ought to attract interest.

And, as others have mentioned, teams who want Peavy, well they might as well commit to giving up their *top* prospect plus another good one. Otherwise, the Padres can simply wait until the trading deadline, or offseason 2009-10 - with Peavy tied up for so long, they only wil deal him if they're blown away, and won't be rushed into overvaluing prospects.

For the Yankees, it begins & starts with Philip Hughes. For the Braves, Jason Heyward. For the Cards, Colby Rasmus. The Reds, Jay Bruce. The Rangers could give a very nice package starting with Neftali Feliz & another young arm. The only problem with Cincy/Texas is I doubt Peavy would want to go there, so could veto a trade there. For the Angels...well, I think they're going to have to spend the $. And, even with all of those packages, there probably needs to be a very good prospect *added* as well. You get the idea - it's not like Peavy can force the Padres to do anything this offseason, so they'll gauge the market, and see what they can get - if they love the value back, they'll pull the trigger. But, unlike the Twinkies, they won't feel obliged or rushed into doing it.

At least one nice thing - it will add fuel to Hot Stove Season, given that the big-name FA SP's will likely need to set the current market value to gauge Peavy's true net worth when the contracts are compared (and he will have great net value, it's just a question of how much - obviously he's even more valuable in the NL than AL, but either way teams who are willing to pay, well they'll be drooling at the thought of it).

I'll chime in here.

The Braves seem better going after Sheets or Sabathia, since they already depleted their farm system for Teixeira trade. Still possible though.

1. St. Louis. They have the money, Colby Rasmus and Chris Perez.
2. Detroit. They need him desperately and Porcello is that last prospect they have left.
3. Rangers. Need pitching as well, enough prospects to make it happen.

Sleeper: Milwakee. He's already under contract which is similar to what Sabathia/Sheets are making now, plus they're done with Gagne's horrific paycheck.

Hmm, you would think that instead of dealing your ace (triple crown winner in 2007) in a market with quite a bit of FA SP talent (thus reducing Peavy's value), you would pony up some cash to fix your horrid offense, and still have some of the best pitching in the league.

I dont necessarily blame the Padres for thinking about moving Peavy now. The Twins were in a similar situation with Santana and waited til the last offseason before he was to be a FA, only to get almost nothing back for him.

With his salary, I think that is all the more reason to get rid of Peavy. That offense is pretty bad, and their former top hitting prospect Antonelli, just completely fell apart apart and looks useless. Wait till after the FAs are signed and just charge like no other and get a boat load of hitting prospects. They will still have a good BP and a few decent SPs in their farm who could turn out well just because of that park so getting top pitching prospects isn't a necessity.

A few ppl mentioned the cardinals...although they do have a need for pitching the cardinals have proved how tight they are and just signed Lohse to a ridiculous deal seeing as he has only had one good year, i think you can count them out for a Peavy trade.
Yes the braves will make some noise this offseason with trades or free agency idk. It's pretty obvious that they will have no chance in getting Sabathia and I really hope they dont blow their whole roll trying to get him. I would like to see Ben Sheets if they go through free agency, maybe just maybe that last injury towards the end will scare some teams away and make his price cheaper. I still believe they could make a good run at Peavy or how about Holliday(wishful thinking) and try to get Bobby one last postseason run before he hangs it up.

There are 4 guys the Braves won't trade for Peavy: Heyward, Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schafer, and Freddy Freeman.

That said the Braves still have some great prospects to offer to get Peavy. They could offer something like CF Gorkys Hernandez, LH SP Cole Rhorbough(best pitching prospect after Hanson), SS Lillinbridge, and another pitching prospect like Kris Medlen(sick nummers in AA after being converted to a SP). Other alternate options may be OF Brandon Jones, C/1B Tyler Flower, or LH SP Jeff Locke...the Braves still have a lot of depth in their ml system even after the Texeira trade to get a trade done.

There is some speculation form the AJC that the Padres have asked for Yunel Escobar to be the centerpiece of the trade.....

No chance the Padres deal one of the top pitchers in the game without getting any of the Braves top prospects back.

The Twins had to accept the Gomez package for Santana (when they clearly wanted Martinez) because they left it too late to get a great package for him (even then they turned down better offers from Boston).

The Padres aren't in this position - unless they get blown away then they'll just stay put until the deadline when teams are desperate for help down the stretch. They'll be able to point to the impact of Sabathia and how he pretty much single handedly got the Brewers to the playoffs and that Peavy could have a similar impact.

Cleveland netted a top 10 prospect for CC and that was only for 2 1/2 months of him, Peavy is signed at what will be pretty much market value for the next 4 years, so it's not like it's a rent a player deal either.

Gorkys and Rohrbough are no slouches, they might be as good as Schafer and Hanson. They're just a year away from the majors while Schafer and Hanson are ready but in terms of talent there is not much of a downgrade if at all.

it doesn't matter. they're gonna want the more proven and more talented prospect. they want the top prospects. for one of the best pitchers in the game locked up for the next few years at a great price, there's no chance they'll take anything less.

remember: if the braves dont give up the top prospect, someone else will.

To echo jd040's point further, if the Padres aren't blown away by an offer, they'll just keep Peavy, and wait until a buyer pays what they want at the trade deadline 2009, or the 2009-10 offseason, or even the 2010 season - they're not in a bind until 2011 rolls around. While it's nice to think of guys who *might* fill a need for the Padres, they're not going to do much in the way of projecting - they'll want guys who are elite, and probably ready to help very soon. That pretty much disqualifies a lot of non top-30 prospects as the headliner (not to mention the Friars will likely ask for another legit prospect as well).

As much as any team can hype their own prospects, if they're aren't seen as top of the line and ready to help soon, can't see it happening (and sorry, none of the guys not named Heyman/Schafer/Hanson qualify, and I believe they'll want bats, not arms). While Gorkys is a legit prospect, he's not seen as top-shelf, and while that might change, the Padres aren't looking for bargain values, they'll look for *top recognized value* here.

This is Jake Peavy we are talking about not Babe Ruth. The way some of you are talking its going to take a team trading their whole farm system for Peavy. And I dont believe the Padres will be too worried about having everyone involved in the deal ready to play right now in the majors. The Yunel Escobar rumors is something i havent heard but it makes alot of sense for the padres to be after Escobar given their current SS situation. This brings up the point that there is also players already on the major league roster of the braves that could be involved in a deal such as Escobar or Kelly Johnson or Prado who really impressed towards the end of the year. Believe it or not the braves can put together a good deal without involving their top 3 or 4 prospects.

To clarify - I'm not suggesting they have to involve *all* of their top 3 prospects, but if you believe they can get Jake Peavy, a true #1 SP at below market prices for 3 years, *without* 1 of them, sorry, but we'll just agree to disagree. And it wasn't *everyone* has to be major league-ready, but their #1 centerpiece will likely need to be ready soon, i.e. not a single-A level prospect.

Again, the reality is that a.) the Braves aren't the only team that will be in on Peavy, and b.) the Friars have no *pressing reason* to deal Peavy unless they are getting blown away. And anyway you put it, when you factor in those 2 items, a Braves deal will center on either Schafer/Heyward & 1 other guy at a minimum, or the Padres will find their stud package elsewhere, or they will simply wait until an offer comes along at the trading deadline, or even the next offseason - there's no need for them to rush this, and they will undoubtedly only trade Peavy when they feel they're getting the best deal possible - and that means no projectible guys, but an overall top-20 propect and another good one in return.

So you don't think that if the Braves come out and offer mediocre prospects at best in a bunch that no one else will step up and throw out a STUD prospect to snag him?

In the end its goin to come down to how the Pads value each prospect. They have their own scouts and their own coaches to decide who they think is a top prospect and who they want in return. They dont look at rotoworld's prospect rankings to decide who is a top player and who is not. The only point im trying to put out there is that the braves could get a deal done without giving away their top 2 or 3 prospects.

i agree with everything you said except for one point - the pads would laugh at a deal that had schafer as the centerpiece

What are you talking about Schafer has drawn comparisions to Grady Sizemore because he can hit for power and steal bases, he has that power-speed combo that teams covet. Plus by many reports he's the best defensive OF in the minors, a gold glove caliber CF to go with a great throwing arm.

Schafer is a better player than Jacoby Ellsbury who was rumored to be a centerpiece for a Johan Santana trade so there is nothing to laugh about there.

Rotoworld just reported that the braves and padres are indeed in talks.

i don't recall sizemore getting caught using HGH........that is why it's laughable, given the risk involved

this is all going to end in tears for braves fans, by the looks of it.......either they are severely under-rating peavy's trade value (see the haren deal, and then add even more quality given peavy is better and under control longer) or they are severely over-rating their collection of B grade prospects beyond heyward

Neither was Schafer as there is no test for HGH, so there is no proof he was using HGH and with the way his power improved last year, I don't think he was using them either. For example you could posses HGH to sell it and still be suspended..

Tommy Hanson is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball so I wouldn't classify him as a B level prospect. I'm pretty certain Towers and his people know how to evaluate talent better than you and me and I can guarantee you Jake Peavy will be a Brave even if we have to give up Schafer. Heyward and Hanson are untouchable but other than that everyone else is available.

Schafer was busted for HGH....




Straight from the Bravos website too....

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article...sp&c_id=atl

There is NO test for HGH so how would MLB know if he was using them unless they were the ones "shooting" him with the HGH. Either way his performance last year showed HGH had nothing to do with his success in 2007.

There may not be an "official" test, but come on and lets not kid ourselves. The MLB knows what they are doing with these tests and are not suspending guys for going through a second burst of puberty for all those extra hormones.

I heard it speculated that the Braves are heavily after him, but don't be surprised if the Astro's make a push for him. Oswalt and Peavy are friends, and it was Oswalt who pushed the Aastro's to try and make a run to get Peavy a couple of years back. I have no idea what the Astro's could offer the Pad's for Peavy(Really-the Astro's don't have much to offer), but I'm just saying-and throwing it out there.

Thoughts???

I guess they could move their plethora of prospects they have currently.

Would the Brewers be a good fit? They not only have some good prospects left, but they have some valuable big leaguers on the way out. With Sheets and CC probably leaving and Gagne and possibly Cameron's salaries being gone I think they could afford him. Of course it would depend a lot on their plans with Prince and some other young guys.

Im curious to see if the Yankees could get something done here. I dont know who they really have to offer now that they wouldnt offer a year ago when Johan Santana again, but I suppose anything is possible. My question is if they would have any interest in Robinson Cano who is locked up through at least 2011 (2013 w/ options) in addition to guys like Austin Jackson, Aceves (who I like from the little bit of him I saw late this season, but then again, I said the same thing with Kennedy), or Kennedy.

I think they would have less of a chance with Peavy than they did with Santana. The Mets were in a rush and the Padres can just sit back and wait for a great deal. Also like you mentioned some of the Yankees top touted prospects(Hughes and Kennedy) took a dive. I don't know a lot about Tabata or Jackson to say if they would get it done or not.

The Brewers would definitely be a good fit. Assuming they let both CC and Sheets go they will get 2 first rounders and two supplementary picks out of that. That's enough to motivate a team with a ton of hitting that they can afford to let some top prospects go. Escobar might be able to start in San Diego next year, the only question is will they give up Gamel too. If they give Gamel-Escobar, maybe some bottom of the line starter, I think that gets a deal done for Peavy. Trading LaPorta, Gamel, and Escobar within a calendar year would definitely be a grab at the next few years with the great young talent that's been assembled already, but if the Brewers want a top notch starter under contract I think it would be a nice deal for both sides.

i honestly think the stros can make a good offer...

Can ship Wandy, Max Sapp (catching prospect (1st rounder in 05 or 06), can also give Paulino, Nieve, and Sampson if need be

Those player aren't worth Jake Peavy and would be a steal. I doubt the Padres will just give away Jake Peavy.

Red Sox apparently interested.

That's not surprising though. When was the last time a big name pitcher was marketed as "available" and the big 3(Boston, and the New Yorks) were not rumored to be interested?

it's a ploy to drive up the price for any team that does get Jake Peavy, if any.

My inside source tells me that the Padres actually want good players in return.

Go Texans Go, we love you man, but those players can't sniff Peavy's jock strap. No way anyone of those players are involved with peavy.

I've heard Peavy would prefer to go to an NL team and he can veto any trade, hes willing to go to the braves and astros who may be the frontrunners but the brewers definitely have the ability and the need to get a deal done along with possibly the cardinals. I'd be shocked if nearly every team didnt at least inquire about Peavy at some point though.

I'd be happy as a Braves fan if the Braves only gave up only one of their big prospects, but Yunel and Kelly Johnson can't involved then. I know Peavy is an ace but still. Obviously a lot of lower tier prospects will be involved, probably 3-5 more along with the top prospect.

+1

Boston is probably just in it because the Yankees are supposedly in it. My guess is neither team lands Peavy

I'd literally crap my pants if the Cardinals got Peavy. Sure, we'd have to give up a lot to get him, but the dude's a beast. I know I'd go and order a Cards Peavy jersey the second they went on sale if that happened.

lol...as long as pence and others arent in the deal....then YAY!

That would be a sick rotation. Peavy, Wainright, Carp rounding out the top 3...yeesh.

It appears Jake Peavy will only lift his No-Trade claus if he's dealt to an National League team. Perferably, Atlanta.

What about Peavy, Beckett, Lester, Dice-K! I'm sure the Sox won't get him, but that's sickness!