K.Law sets the record straight

Leave it to uber-analyst Keith Law to douse me in an icey cold water bath that is sometimes called reality (Insider Access required).

The team acquiring Peavy would get something similar to what Arizona got financially in Haren -- three years of control at below-market prices -- but they're not getting the same pitcher on the field. Peavy missed time this year with elbow trouble after notching a career high in innings in 2007. When he did pitch, his strikeout rate was down, his walk rate was up, and his home run rate was back up after an exceptionally low rate in 2007. His velocity was about normal, sitting 92-93 on the four-seamer, a few mph below that on the two-seamer, but his slider didn't have the same bite. He uses the slider heavily, which isn't good for the elbow, and without that as a primary weapon, he's not going to be as effective.

Peavy has also benefited tremendously from his home environment. Petco Park is one of the toughest places in baseball in which to hit a home run, good news for pitchers like Peavy who don't keep the ball on the ground. In fact, Peavy has allowed far more home runs (81) in his career on the road than he has at home (47), despite throwing 95 more innings at home. And that's before we consider the soft competition that he's faced, between his league and the weak offenses in his own division.

I know Petco skews heavily as a pitcher's park and certainly the competition is easier in the NL West than it is in the AL East. Maybe Peavy knows this and that's why he wants to stay in the NL, which I had been surmizing for some time now:

"Maybe Peavy looks at likely AL teams (for now, let's just consider the two financial superpowers, NY and Boston) and tells himself that he wants no part of pitching against the rest of the AL East. Could you blame him?"

And a bit more on these topics from Padres Assistant GM Paul DePodesta, interviewed here earlier this year:

IIATMS: Do you think people make too big a deal about “park effects”?

PD: I think it might be a little overdone. Park effects are definitely important when evaluating an individual player’s performance, but on any given night our collective mission is to beat the other team and we’re both playing in the same park. In short, I think there’s a fine line. You can’t ignore the nuances of your own park since you’ll play there 81 times a year, but you can’t be myopic either.

......

IIATMS: In your blog, you question how difficult the trade/rumor mill process must be for the players. How do you deal with players during this time? Do you actively seek them out to keep them in the loop? Do they call you? Are you able to share info
with them?

PD: It depends on the situation. There are times when I’ve kept a player in the loop about his situation when I thought it was appropriate. Other times it’s more difficult because trades are tenuous, and you don’t want to burden a player unnecessarily.

The man behind the logo

I'll admit it, I love these stories-behind-the-scenes stuff. Tell me about what goes on in the lowest levels of an organization. What the clubhouse boys have to do. How the laundry gets done. How the concessions get distributed. Anything. I'm a sucker for that minutae. So naturally, the story of the designing of the MLB logo is fascinating to me.

Now 76, Mr. Dior is retired. He says he enjoys seeing his creation whenever he and his wife, Lita, watch his favorite team, the Yankees. He has one regret: Major League Baseball has never acknowledged his contribution.
......
Mr. Dior says that he would be grateful for official credit, if only to share his hardball legacy with his four children and four grandchildren. "Just to be recognized as the person who came up with the logo," he said, "that would be great. It's what I'm most proud of in my entire career as an illustrator."

And just WHO is the guy in the logo? The NBA used Jerry West's silouette as the logo. Anyone serve as the inspiration for the MLB logo?

His son once heard a radio broadcaster say that Minnesota Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew served as his model for the logo. Mr. Dior's response: "That's completely untrue. It's not Harmon Killebrew. It's not anyone in particular."

Long on dollars, short on years

So the Dodgers have bought into Manny Being Manny. OK, I can understand why. When you only see one side --an incredible, glorious, breath-taking side-- you are willing to dismiss the bad stuff other people are telling you. And then there's the chatter that they are willing to get close to the annual dollars being paid to ARod:

One person who's spoken to Dodgers people suggested that the team is considering proposing a contract that may come close to matching Alex Rodriguez's record $27.5-million average annual salary but on a much shorter term, perhaps only two years. That person hinted he could see the Dodgers even exceeding A-Rod's salary, as long as the length of the deal was to their liking.

Is it me, or is this starting to feel a bit like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction? Manny started off as an incredible fling. He was a god-send, better than anyone could have hoped for the Dodgers. But at some point, won't he be fighting you with knives (or threats of sitting due to a bad left, errrr right, um left, knee)?

Pardon my Bill Simmons-esque take on this but to borrow one of his favorite phrases, this can't end well, can it?

Sure, let's add another OF

Seems the last thing the Yanks need is another mid-30's OF. No matter that he's a quality defender, he's a K-machine and the Yanks are already slogged with outfielders, young and old. This makes no sense, unless there are a few trades yet to happen. And even then, why Cameron?

According to an industry source, the Yankees are waiting to see if the Brewers pick up a $10 option on Cameron, who will be 36 in January.

If they don't, the source said, the Yankees have targeted him because they consider him an upgrade at center field, where they have Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon.

Plus Matsui. And Nady. And some other kids who may or may not be worth some PT. How will this team ever know if they have an Ellsbury in their midst unless they give them the chances?

My head hurts already.

Definition: Lieber-contract

I realized that I twice suggested a "Lieber contract" recently without much explanation. For those of you who don't remember, the Yanks signed Lieber to a two year deal knowing he would not pitch the first year. He then returned the year after and was pretty darn good.

He missed the entire 2003 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2002. Lieber signed a two-year contract with the Yankees following the 2002 season. After recovering from the surgery, Lieber rewarded the Yankees' investment in 2004 by winning 14 games (tied for the team lead) and becoming the team's most consistent pitcher down the stretch.

I'm a big proponent of this sort of thing with a club like the Yanks who can afford to take the financial risks required to possibly capture the upside of a recovering proven commodity. I would not recommend this for a mid-/small-market team who can't readily write off such an expense.

Other Lieber contract candidates: Jason Schmidt, Mark Mulder. However, something about those two make me more nervous. Age, timing of recent surgeries, etc.

More Prior-ness

Yesterday, I suggested that the Yanks take a flier on Mark Prior, signing him to a Lieber-like deal. The Yanks drafted Prior way back when but never signed him. He re-entered the draft, was taken by the Cubs, rocked the league in 2003 and then turned into an injury-riddled version of Carl Pavano.

Last year, he signed for $1m, under-market value, to play in his hometown of San Diego. He did not pitch an inning for his hometown nine. Rather, he underwent season-ending surgery in June.

Prior had surgery in June performed by team doctors Heinz Hoenecke and Jan Fronek to fix a torn anterior capsule in his shoulder.

It was during surgery when Hoenecke and Fronek discovered that the capsule in Prior's right shoulder had torn away from the humerus bone -- an injury neither Hoenecke nor Fronek had heard of another baseball player having before.

There's no timetable for him to pitch in games yet; they think he can start pitching to hitters in the Spring. Prior now says he wants to return to the Padres. Can't say I blame him. He effectively stole that $1m last year and if you have to rehab anywhere, doing it in SD ain't too bad.

Except I think that the Yanks should come in and offer a multi-year deal, low on guarantees but high on incentives. Offer him a million or two guaranteed for 2009 and double that for 2010. Provide incentives for the # of games started. Maybe he'd be another Pavano, maybe he'd be Lieber, who came back to be effective. Not great but effective. When you have a 28 year old who once had proven great "stuff", isn't that worth a risk? Could it work out any worse than the Ponson experiment? With a limited downside, I think a guy like Prior is worth the risk.

If he can't handle the workload of a starter, perhaps he can develop into a nice middle reliever. Hell, didn't the perennially-injured Kerry Wood develop into an ace closer?

Stranger things have happened.

I love a good obsession

So long as it's relatively harmless, legal and in the spirit of fun and entertainment, a good obsession is a great thing. Like this wacky Phillies phan and his streak that dwarfs Ripken's:

Since Aug 8, 1986, Bogart has kept score of every Phillies regular-season game. In all but the rarest instances, he has watched or listened live and methodically recorded each out, each hit, each run as they occurred.

For the record, that's 3,554 straight contests.

Sort of makes Oriole great Cal Ripken's consecutive games played streak of 2,632 seem a little light.

Naturally, he'd name his son after some Phillies great, right? Um, not so much:

Their son is named Ryne Michael -- after Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg first and then Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.

Why not Michael Ryne? Ya got me, but if you're questioning the logic of man who has methodically listened/watched and recorded nearly 4k straight games, you're the one who might need their head examined.

Tell me if you've heard this before

Oh, what might have been....

Mark Prior, who had a second, less-invasive surgery on his right shoulder earlier this year, is in the midst of a throwing program and should be ready for the start of the 2009 season, said his agent, John Boggs. Prior is expected to file for free agency. "He said he feels good, that his shoulder has never felt better," said Boggs.

Someone will sign him to a Jon Lieber contract, hoping for the best. Wouldn't surprise me to see the Yanks do that.

Peavy Sweepstakes update

If you believe the writers, the Cardinals are out as are the Astros. That leaves the Dodgers, Cubs and the Braves as the three likely NL landing spots for Peavy.

Re: The Cardinals:

According to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are not a serious player for Jake Peavy. Miklasz's Cardinals sources downplayed the idea and noted that they've only had one conversation with the Padres.

Re: The Astros:

Peavy's first choice, according to the MLB.com source, is Houston, but it is unlikely that the Astros have enough Minor League talent to offer the Padres, who are seeking starting pitching and, possibly, a center fielder.

I don't believe the Cubs have the depth to deal to get Peavy, especially after dealing young/cheap talent to land Harden. They could send Pie, a disappointing Rich Hill and a bunch of others, but I can't see that being the winning bid. I admittedly am not fluent in the Cubs farm system so if any Cubbies fans can put together a deal that you think works, email me.

The Dodgers clearly have the goods and they will have to overpay to get the Padres to agree to deal him inter-division. Package some prospects with Kemp. Kemp and Billingsley (they'd never do that!)...?

The Braves seem to have some talent to get the deal done but are the reluctant to do so? Seems that way.

With such attractive prospects as Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Tyler Flowers, Tommy Hanson, Kris Medlen and Jordan Schafer, the Braves have the ability to put together a blockbuster package to land Peavy.

But right now they're obviously reluctant to put too many of those pieces in the same package. Thus it appears that they'll remain patient until it becomes apparent exactly what it would take to bring Peavy to Atlanta.

If the Braves are unwilling to part with Hanson, Schafer and maybe Kelly Johnson and Yunel Escobar, will the Padres look to the AL and present Peavy with his options.

I still claim the Yanks/Sox/Angels are not out of it until the ink is down on the trade paperwork elsewhere.

UPDATE (10/21/08, 9:41am): Update courtesy of Buster:

There may be other considerations, as well, Axelrod said, without elaborating. But Peavy certainly would have the leverage to extract more guaranteed money from his next team. Players in a similar situation as he is in have asked that a contractual option be exercised in return for waiving a no-trade clause, and Peavy has a $22 million option for 2013, with a $4 million buyout; he could just ask for more money in the buyout.

Another factor for Peavy to consider, Axelrod said, is what other types of moves the Padres make in the weeks ahead -- what moves are made to improve the team, or if there are more cutbacks. No matter what he ultimately decides that he wants, Peavy will hold the hammer that could break apart the trade talks.

Yet again, I assert that if the only thing separating Peavy from the AL is monetary concessions, that's not a hurdle that can't be cleared. If more money is all Peavy is looking for --in the way of guarantees, additional years, etc.-- then the Yanks will meet his demands. The only question that I can't yet answer is if Hughes is the dealbreaker for the Yanks.

The Axis of Evil?

Tell me you're shocked when you see this picture:

I'm not. Except it's not really what you think. It's not a regularly scheduled meeting of the Domineering Owners Club. The Old Rich White Guy Ownership Association? The Loose Skin Gray Hair Society? Aviators and Dr. 90210? Turtlenecks and Neck-tucks?

These guys are uniting to form a new stadium hospitality company. In short, they want to make your stadium experiences better.

The New York Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys, Goldman Sachs and CIC Partners today announced that they have founded Legends Hospitality Management, LLC), a new company that will offer a broad range of sports business services. Legends’ initial focus will be on operating catering, concessions, retail merchandising and other facility management enterprises for major sports and entertainment facilities.

Pete Abe provides his usual spot-on analysis and wit:

What this means: Teams have traditionally provided concessions via an independent company such as Aramark or Centerplate. Those companies pay for the rights to operate in the stadiums.

The Yankees and Cowboys borrowed $100 million from Goldman Sachs and will form their own company to handle food, team stores, etc. at their new stadiums. Much of this will be to enhance the atmosphere in the suites. The company hopes to branch out to other teams, arenas and colleges.

By cutting out the middleman, the teams theoretically should make more money. This seems like a smart move by the Steinbrenners. Hal Steinbrenner spoke about a year ago about such ventures and Hank Steinbrenner, you may recall, once predicted the Yankees could work with the Red Sox. This is the kind of thing they were talking about.

In time, I suspect you’ll see teams share a cable network or a radio network. The Yankees and Cowboys reach across a lot boundaries and demographics.

Meanwhile, George Steinbrenner is apparently going for a Weekend At Bernie’s look as he meets Jerry Jones.

Let it be thusly noted, it's once again about the money. And, for all the anti-Yankee fans out there, this is just another way the Yanks are flexing their financial might. First it was the YES Network, then there was the agreement with Man U. And now they are getting into hospitality. So when your favorite team cries poverty, ask them why they haven't branched out vertically or horizontally.

Hate them all you want, but you have to be impressed with the behind the scenes management team who probably got this done. There are probably some really bright strategy guys as well as creative bankers (what credit crisis? Need $100 million, sure!) who made sure this got done.

Of course, it was just yesterday when I noted the Jerry Jones "I'm not like him" comment with the great retort, even though the original comment by Jones wasn't made yesterday. Good times, my friends.

Any chance Marion Barber can play 1B?

Peavy not diggin' NY

OK, Peavy doesn't love NY. He'd rather bat. Yawn. Just tell me when he agrees to waive his NTC, otherwise, I will assume that NY is still a player in this chessmatch.

"Jake strongly prefers the National League, and it would take major enticement to get him to agree to go to any American League club," [agent Barry] Axelrod e-mailed. "He has obviously had a lot of success in the NL and feels very comfortable there. Also, he is a pretty good hitter, and he views that as an advantage."

Since when have the Yanks been reluctant to add a major enticement? I'll believe the Yanks are out of this drama only when the news crosses the wire that Peavy has been dealt somewhere out. You just can't count out the richest guy in the room flashing his wallet when he wants something.

What would Peavy want? Another year guaranteed? CHECK. Special suites on the road? CHECK. Flying home on off-days? CHECK. Pinch hit during blow-outs when you're not pitching? Sure, why not!

Maybe I am crazy, but it seems that those who fear the NYC have something to hide. If you have the skills, there's no bigger stage on which to perform. If he was a singer playing to nice quiet, mid-sized crowds in Balboa Park and was offered to come play Carnegie Hall, only someone who doubts their abilities would balk at such a chance. Perhaps that's just me, but if you're among the best, why not take the chance to steer yourself to a team that you know will be at least competitive, if not better, for the next decade? Perhaps that means going to the Red Sox not the Yanks, but why the fear of the AL? And don't hide behind the "I am a good hitter. I want to bat" crap. I don't buy it for a second.

Sorry for the NYC-bias.


UPDATE (10/21/08, 9:41am): Update courtesy of Buster:

There may be other considerations, as well, Axelrod said, without elaborating. But Peavy certainly would have the leverage to extract more guaranteed money from his next team. Players in a similar situation as he is in have asked that a contractual option be exercised in return for waiving a no-trade clause, and Peavy has a $22 million option for 2013, with a $4 million buyout; he could just ask for more money in the buyout.

Another factor for Peavy to consider, Axelrod said, is what other types of moves the Padres make in the weeks ahead -- what moves are made to improve the team, or if there are more cutbacks. No matter what he ultimately decides that he wants, Peavy will hold the hammer that could break apart the trade talks.

Yet again, I assert that if the only thing separating Peavy from the AL is monetary concessions, that's not a hurdle that can't be cleared. If more money is all Peavy is looking for --in the way of guarantees, additional years, etc.-- then the Yanks will meet his demands.

Ouchie

Even I have gotta admit, this is pretty good:

"I am so grounded in the thinking that higher payrolls don't win Super Bowls. I've never experienced success throwing money at players. I never see myself [being a Steinbrenner].''-- Dallas owner Jerry Jones, at the NFL Meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., last March.

"Welcome to the Yankees.''-- Dallas Morning News Cowboys beat writer Calvin Watkins, to fledgling Cowboy beat writer Brian Davis, last Tuesday in the middle of the Pacman/Roy Williams mayhem.

Hard to argue, eh Jerry?

The Brass Balls Award goes to...

...Joe Maddon! For bringing in highly touted, greener-than-a-Prius-from-New-Hampshire, little-used David Price in the most pressure filled moment of the organization's brief (and brutal) history!

Rays manager Joe Maddon then called for Chad Bradford to pitch to Kevin Youkilis, who drew a walk to load the bases. David Price became the fifth and final Rays pitcher of the inning, when the 23-year-old rookie left-hander was brought in to pitch to J.D. Drew. He struck Drew out looking at a fastball on the outside corner to end the threat.

In the ninth, Price issued a walk to Jason Bay, then struck out Mark Kotsay and Jason Varitek, before getting Lowrie to ground into the forceout to end the game.

"I felt really good about David tonight," Maddon said. "David, when you talk about him prior to the game, this young man is composed beyond his years, he really is, and I think you've all had a chance to understand that if you've even had one conversation with him.

"So it was just important to get through that murderer's row that they have there, and then eventually turn it over to him. That was my thought. And again, it was just about throwing strikes, and he's been a strike-thrower his whole life."

There are gutsy calls, hunches and calculated risks. Then there is Joe Maddon turning to David Price, with the bases loaded, against the defending champs, in the 8th inning, with the bases loaded. And Price K's Drew, then the first two outs of the ninth (after a walk) before getting the grounder to second to end it. Reminds me of when K-Rod burst onto the scene for the Angels out of nowhere back in 2002.

Awesome!

More on The Move That Iced The Pennant:

Tampa Bay’s worst to first saga was the feel-good story of this season, and it probably was fitting that Price—the least experienced of the young Rays— was on the mound at the most critical point of the ALCS.

“Minimal experience, but I was not hesitant,” manager Joe Maddon said.
......
“I wanted the ball,” Price said. “I think everybody down there in the ‘pen wanted the ball tonight.”

And no, David, I will bet not everyone wanted the ball. I'd bet a bunch of guys had that sphynchter-tightening feeling and were content watching you go out and nail it down.

May as well sign him to a multi-year deal now!

Cashing in bonds; Bonds cashing in

While the rest of the economy is squirrelling away cash in their mattresses, cashing in bonds and their 401k's early and generally not spending much on anything not essential, good old Barry Bonds and his collusionary claims might result in a massive payday.

Barry Bonds could seek $100 million or more if an arbitrator finds baseball owners colluded to end his career, according to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, which allows for triple damages from lost earnings.
......
[Willie] Mays, Bonds’ godfather, recently told HBO’s Bob Costas he believed Bonds could play as many as three more years. The $100 million figure, while seemingly ludicrous, could be sought by arguing that Bonds might have earned more than $30 million in three years, and tripling the damages.

I don't think Bonds was methodically colluded against. I actually think that the owners and GMs all came to similar conclusions on their own. A stretch given Mgmt's historical stupidity and impulsiveness, but given his looming lawsuit, the excess attention and PR, the requirements of mgmt to blindly support Bonds, and his not-to-lovable presence in the lockerroom, I think it's a pretty obvious conclusion. Groupthink*, perhaps, but not collusion. I think the Mgmt was simply afraid to go near Bonds.


* Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas.

(thanks to MLBTradeRumors.com for the tip)

Leverage, behold thy name is NTC

So my favorite non-free agent --Jake Peavy-- has laid out his five NL landing places. Nice choices, if I say so myself. Of course, by limiting himself to just the NL and only these five, he's using all the leverage afforded to him via his NTC. Which is well with his contractual right.

San Diego pitcher Jake Peavy, the Cy Young Award winner currently being dangled in trade talks, initially indicated to the Padres that he would prefer a deal to one of five teams -- Atlanta, St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros.

Naturally the Padres front office will explore some other options, presumably some in the AL. Otherwise, these five teams have little incentive to hand over the gems of their farm systems. It seems that Atlanta has the best array of high minor league talent to offer the Pads but appears to be reluctant to do so. I'd also guess that if LAD wanted to dangle Kemp, Dewitt and another arm or two, it could get done, but will LA want to do that? Especially if they are already going to make a serious play on CC or Manny. Can they take on $20m for Manny plus Peavy's deal? The Cubbies dealt some young talent to land Harden; do they have much left to hand to San Diego for Peavy? Does their changing ownership scuttle taking on another fairly sizable contract?

So that leaves San Diego exploring the AL teams 1) who can afford to take on the contract, 2) deliver the bounty that the Padres want in return and 3) who are contenders that would appeal to Peavy. To me, that's Tampa (they have the talent and should have some loot to spend), NY, Boston, LAA, maybe Detroit. Who am I missing? Could Cleveland be a dark horse? Chicago?

If I were the Yanks, I'd send guys like Moose, Pettitte (yes, they are both free agents, but let's assume they both want to return and will, at least for the sake of this exercise) on a recruiting trip. Moose, from a small town in PA, and Pettitte, from Houston, can attest to how the Big Bad City can be a friend, not a foe. Of course, they can't do this unless there's some window of negotiation or something for fear of tampering. And if the team couldn't have these guys do the talking, I'd hope Cashman would tell Towers to describe their situations to Peavy to let him know guys from small towns have come to NY and been beloved. Or at least be-liked.

Peavy, 27, has a full no-trade clause, and he has not given San Diego any indication that he would accept a deal to the Yankees or any other American League team. But the Padres are in the process of gauging interest from those clubs, as well -- and if they were to identify an offer that they find acceptable, perhaps for a couple of pitchers and a center fielder, officials with other teams sense that San Diego would move quickly to complete a deal.

The Yanks need to go to Towers with an aggressive offer to show they mean business and then hope Peavy isn't a shrinking violet.

Of course, I said much the same when the Yanks got Javy Vazquez. I told my Dad how great this guy is gonna be, how he was an emerging stud in Montreal and with his big K rates, he'd thrive in NY. Um, not so much. History, schmistory.

Meh, I still want Peavy!

TNYS: The grass is down and the video is huge

The sod is being laid and watered, the cranes are still up and there's a ginormous video scoreboard in dead center field. The center of it is huge, but consider the wrap-around balance of the video display.... crazy big. And the lettering across the left-center field monitor looks nice.

Haters can continue to hate but I'm liking what I am seeing.

Click here for all of the pictures
















Video is here:

Joba to start

Yes, there are risks about his shoulder, but with proper physical therapy and training this off-season, there is no reason why Joba can't be a starter from 2009 forward. In fact, this is the only logical solution.

"The plan as of right now is Chamberlain is going to be a starter," the Yankees co-chairman said Thursday after five hours of organizational meetings at the team's spring training complex. "Everybody's pretty much in agreement with that."

Including all the piss-ants?

Shocking but not surprising

As hard as it is for me to watch, you just have to be impressed with the way the Sox clawed back from certain death last night. If this was in a movie, you'd laugh it off as improbable. If this was a soap opera, the scene would have been the doctor removing the tube on the patient, the priest administering last rights and then having the patient sit up and ask what's all the fuss about.

With the Sox, it's no longer surprising, but it's still shocking. I remember back to the early phases of the Yanks run in the mid-90's; there was always a sense of calm, a feeling that the team not only could come back, but would. The Sox have that same mojo right now. That's the element of experience that can't be taught. Sox fans, enjoy this win and enjoy this team. It's hard not to be impressed, even as a Yanks fan.

I think Maddon has the right mindset, of course, but the Rays better come out guns a'blazing in Game 6 or that momemtum shift will be real and hard to turn back.

“Of course we’re upset, of course, we don’t like losing that game, of course,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “But to dwell on it does no good whatsoever. We’ll lose heart for about a half hour or so, get on that plane, go home and then we’ll come back out for Game 6, and roll it out there again.”

Go Rays!

Behind the scenes: Trading Peavy

Paul DePodesta, assistant GM of the Padres, is incredibly honest in his discussion about trading Peavy and this is a MUST READ.

In short, we are charged with fielding the best possible team in both the short and long terms. Believe me, we wish we could put together a dynamic team comprised of players who would remain as Padres for the duration of their careers. On a personal level, we don't enjoy trading players. I don't know any executive who does. However, that just isn't the reality of today's game. Because of that fact, the best organizations out there can't really believe in the concept of "untouchable", because one can lose great opportunities with such blinders.

So, to answer the most basic question: are we going to trade Jake Peavy? We'll see if someone offers us a compelling deal that makes us better.

So maybe it WAS collusion after all

So much more to follow on this, but I wanted to get it out there quickly:

The baseball players' union says it has found evidence teams acted in concert against signing Barry Bonds but it reached an agreement with the commissioner's office to delay the filing of any grievance.
......
"We have the agreement about the timing of a potential grievance," [Union general counsel Michael] Weiner said. "Our investigation revealed a violation of the Basic Agreement. It's a violation of the Basic Agreement related to Barry Bonds and free agency."

Weiner said the section that had been violated was Article XX (e) of the collective bargaining agreement, which states, in part: "Players shall not act in concert with other players and clubs shall not act in concert with other clubs." Weiner would not say how long the agreement runs to allow the union to file a grievance.

UPDATE: Just to give another POV, from my interview with Matt Sosnick earlier this year:

IIATMS: Do you think owners are united in their stand against guys like Sosa, Bonds, Gibbons and some of the other Mitchell Report guys? Or is it simply a matter of teams trying to get younger/cheaper?
MS: It’s a joke to think that there is a conspiracy. I have no doubt that Barry could be a productive hitter right now. But the risk doesn’t equal the reward. It’s not the on-the-field production for these guys, but the off-the-field distractions, headaches. There’s a lack of continuity as well and no GM will stick his ass out on the line for that risk.