NEWSLETTER
There’s this pitcher in San Diego that the Chicago Cubs and their fans have kind of had some interest in for a few months. His name is Jake Peavy. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Perhaps you’ve thought about him.
Obsessively.
So when the Cubs squared off against the Padres yesterday for a Spring Training outing, the Peavy trade buzz that had largely died down was expected to hum at least at little. Particularly because the man the Cubs were facing was none other than Mr. Peavy, himself.
But interestingly, the buzzing came from none other than Mr. Peavy, himself.
“Obviously, Chicago was a team that I did have an interest in playing for, and I respect (general manager) Jim Hendry and the organization,” he said. “I respect a lot of the players they have and feel like they have a good bunch, and obviously [it’s] a great city. [Those] were reasons I identified the Cubs as a team I wanted to be a part of if I had to move on from San Diego.
“Other than doing that, I just let the guys making the decisions make them. I have no idea [what will happen]. I know I’m here, and I have to prepare like I’m a San Diego Padre.” chicagotribune.com.
That sounds like a substantially different tone than Peavy was taking just a few weeks ago, when he was going to great lengths to emphasize how happy he was to be a San Diego Padre.
I don’t think you can quite read his quotes as saying he definitively wants to be a Cub, but he obviously hasn’t let the thought pass too far from his mind.
We’ve still not gotten a sense of how the new Padres’ ownership group, who will not officially take control until mid-season, view Peavy’s contract – a contract that, until the economy died, looked like a heck of a bargain, even for the cash-strapped Padres.
Relatedly, in light of the changed market landscape, maybe Peavy has become less attractive to the Cubs – who were already going to have to do some hearty maneuvering to fit in Peavy’s salary in 2010 and beyond.
One thing is for sure – this story isn’t going away any time soon. And I kind of like that.
