Oct 22 2008 07:24 AM
] PEAVY MAY BE HEADED TO ATLANTA By JOEL SHERMAN October 22, 2008 -- ST. PETERSBURG - The Jake Peavy sweepstakes will proceed concurrently with the World Series, and the expectation of major league executives polled over the past two days is that the Braves are going to end up with the Padre right-hander. Several executives who have stayed abreast of the talks believe Peavy, who has a no-trade provision, prefers to go to the Astros, in part because his hunting buddy, Roy Oswalt, is already there. But Houston has a poor farm system and will have great difficulty delivering an acceptable package. "Honestly, I have no idea how they put something together acceptable for the Padres," an AL executive said. The Braves, on the other hand, have the base from which to make a deal and a history of packaging youngsters to get veterans they crave such as Mark Teixeira and Tim Hudson. They also are willing to move quickly, as exhibited by the Oct. 29 deal made last year in which they obtained Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez from Detroit for Edgar Renteria, the first major trade of the past offseason. And the Braves appear more motivated than the Cardinals, Cubs or Dodgers to jump out for Peavy. "Don't discount the (Braves manager) Bobby Cox factor," an AL GM said. "He is a veteran manager. He is used to winning. His team hasn't made the playoffs for a few years now. He is influential in the organization. And he wants players who can win now. So I can see him really pushing to get a Peavy deal done." The executives spoken to say they anticipate a Braves package being built around pitcher Tommy Hanson and outfielder Jordan Schafer, who both peaked at Double-A last year, plus a middle infielder, either shortstop Yunel Escobar or second baseman Kelly Johnson. Another AL GM said, "That is really a good deal if San Diego can make it." joel.sherman@nypost.com |
