Padres, White Sox agree; deal up to PeavySan Diego ace must decide whether to waive no-trade clause
The Padres and White Sox have agreed on the terms of a potential trade that would send All-Star right-hander Jake Peavy to Chicago, two sources told MLB.com on Thursday, and the ball is now in Peavy's court.
Peavy, who has a no-trade clause and must approve any deal, reportedly met with Padres manager Bud Black after Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Giants to discuss the White Sox interest in the Padres ace, according to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
"I only know what you guys [media] know," Peavy said late Wednesday when asked about a potential deal.
Peavy has stated that his intention is to remain in San Diego and it is believed that if he were to agree to a trade, his preference is to remain in the National League.
The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner is in his eighth Major League season. He has spent all of those with the Padres and has a career record of 89-67 with a 3.21 ERA. He is 3-5 with a 3.82 ERA in nine starts this season.
Two players believed to be in deal are left-handers Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda, a first-round Draft pick in 2007 who would be the kind of front-line starter the Padres would desire.
Richard, 25, has no record and a 4.33 ERA in 14 appearances for the Sox this season, including two starts. Poreda, 22, is 3-4 with a 2.53 ERA in eight starts for Double-A Birmingham. He has allowed just 32 hits and struck out 50 in 46 1/3 innings.
A considerable part of any trade negotiations could be the money remaining on the contract Peavy signed in December 2007.
Peavy, who is making $11 million this season, will make $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011 and $17 million in 2012. The Padres hold a team option for $22 million with a $4 million buyout.
The White Sox are 17-22 and in fourth place in the AL Central, but are only 5 1/2 games out and are looking to improve. Their GM, Kenny Williams, has shown himself to be aggressive in acquiring players. Current White Sox he acquired include pitchers John Danks and Gavin Floyd and outfielder Carlos Quentin.
Danks came from the Rangers and won 12 games last season. Floyd, who came from the Phillies in a 2007 deal for Freddy Garcia, won 17 games. And Quentin hit 36 home runs after arriving from the Diamondbacks in a minor deal.
Peavy was nearly traded in last offseason to the Cubs, who pulled the plug on a potential deal at the Winter Meetings in December. The Padres were actively shopping Peavy because they were trying to shed payroll to get close to the $40 million mark targeted by club chairman John Moores.
Peavy is coming off a complete-game victory Sunday over the Reds in which he allowed one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He threw a career-high 92 strikes in that game, against 29 balls.