Braves say 'no deal' for Padres ace Peavey

The Atlanta Braves are no longer in the market for San Diego Padres pitching ace Jake Peavy according to team General Manager Frank Wren.  The Braves, along with the Chicago Cubs, had been mentioned as the most likely suitors for Peavy but according to Wren the Padres’ asking price was simply “too high” and as a result Atlanta has “moved on”.

San Diego is in the midst of a salary dump, apparently in response to owner John Moores’ messy—and costly—divorce proceedings.  Despite a disappointing 2008 campaign, there are plenty of teams interested in the 2007 Cy Young winner—or at least there would be if the Padres were more reasonable in their trade demands.

According to media reports, the Braves were offering shortstop Yunel Escobar, minor league outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, and pitching prospects Blaine Boyer and Charlie Morton.  While the Braves haven’t publicly specified the package they were offering they apparently felt that what the Padres were asking would necessitate losing too many promising young players.  Wren said that he eventually decided to walk away from the deal:

"We had our last discussion with San Diego yesterday and let them know that if the final names we were discussing wouldn't get it done, we would move on to other opportunities, other possibilities.  There were a lot of names that were discussed, and we felt like at the end of the day, it was a little more than we were willing to give up, as it would impact the future.”

Peavy’s agent, Barry Axelrod, isn’t convinced that Wren’s statements aren’t just a negotiating tactic:

"I don't take anything at face value this time of year. If I hear Frank Wren say that he's not interested any longer, I take it with a grain of salt."

The Cubs are reportedly still interested in Peavy, but their biggest problem all along is their own shortage of young pitching talent which San Diego is hoping to pick up in any deal for their ace.  For a deal with the Cubs to work, Chicago needs to bring a third team into the process and as of yet that hasn’t happened.