Agent Barry Axelrod told me Monday that Jake Peavy would definitely be interested in Dodger Stadium as a trade destination, but I am hearing that Padre GM Kevin Towers would charge an extremely high intra-division surcharge if LA were to push for a trade.
The Padres are shifting into an extreme lean re-building mode. They pulled a 1-year $4M offer they had made to Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman, they picked up the $9M option for fading outfielder Brian Giles with the intention of trying to trade him, and their youthful Cy Young winner Peavy is about to be dealt as well. The only thing more painful than all of this for a Padre fan would be facing young Jake in Dodger Blue 4-6 times per year between now and the end of 2012.
I’ve suggested that a package from the Dodgers might include young, solid players like outfielder Matt Kemp and pitcher James McDonald, but the Padres may be looking for All-Star catcher Russell Martin or closer Jonathan Broxton in that deal as well. That is a crazy-steep asking price, and there is just no way that the Dodgers can pay it.
The smart money is on Atlanta to acquire Peavy for a package that includes young Cuban SS Yunel Escobar (.288, 10HR, 60 RBI with Atlanta this year) plus either 23yo left Jo-Jo Reyes (5.81 ERA in 23 starts for the Braves) or 25yo right-hander Charlie Morton (15 starts with a 6.15 ERA in his rookie big league season). The Padres would also get 21yo outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, who has stolen a combined 64 bases in the last 2 years and batted .264 in the Carolina league this season, and 21yo lefty Jeffrey Locke, who struck out 113 and walked only 38 at A-ball this year. (Locke’s nickname is “The Redstone Rocket” because he’s from Redstone, New Hampshire).
Escobar would be an every day player in San Diego and either Reyes or Morton would go right into the starting rotation. The same could be said of Kemp and McDonald, but giving up another big league contributor (like Martin or Broxton) would be the price LA would have to pay to keep Jake in the NL West.
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