The scuttlebutt for weeks has been that a real run at Jake Peavy would
have to wait until the Tribune Company selects the “winning” bidder in
the sweepstakes to buy the Cubs (and by “winning” we mean winning the
right to negotiate the purchase).
The Daily Herald
speculates that for Cubs fans who want Peavy, Tom Ricketts might
be the one to root for:
Ricketts will want to win and win fast, so if it’s him and
it happens soon his first call might be to GM Jim Hendry with the news
that he can up the payroll and get Peavy out of San Diego….But while we all wait for Sam Zell’s decision, Peavy still is sitting
there hoping he’s dealt to the Cubs.The good news is Hendry knows exactly how to do it, and how to do it quickly.
All he needs is the go-ahead from the new boss to add Peavy’s $8
million for 2009 and trade talks can start again.As for the rest of Peavy’s contract, yes, it’s hefty, with an average
of $16 million from 2010-12, but that’s reasonable for a pitcher of
his worth.
That’s the first I’d heard of a distinction between the three final
bidders in terms of “who wants to win.” But if it’s true, then let’s
pray for Ricketts.
And not to quibble with Barry Rozner of the Herald, but the prevailing
wisdom is that it is not Peavy’s 2009 salary that requires new
ownership’s blessing, it is that hefty 2010-2012 chunk to which was
referred.