Padres Want Olson - Peavy Talks Back On?

[drifty2378]

found this interesting

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/ ... es/?padres
By Tom Krasovic January 18, 2009

Garrett Olson is a left-handed pitcher of some interest to the Padres who today was traded to the Cubs. The Padres had sought Olson from the Orioles for Khalil Greene. The Padres also considered Olson a potential minor piece in 5-for-1 trade scenarios with the Cubs centering on Jake Peavy. Does that mean a Peavy trade is more likely now? That's overstating things, but Olson does give the Cubs a bit more flexibility, whether they decide to go after Peavy or not.
There are several things to remember here, some of which point against a trade, some which do not: 1) Sandy Alderson said on Friday in his strongest terms yet that he expects Peavy to be with the Padres on Opening Day; 2) The Cubs still may not know whether their pending sale will allow them to raise their payroll in 2010, a big obstacle considering Peavy will be due $15 million that season; 3) For all his talk about retaining Peavy, Alderson nonethless kept the door slightly ajar on Friday. He had talked about announcing in mid-January that Peavy definitely will be with the Padres for Opening Day, but on Friday, he pushed that back to Feb. 1; 4) The Padres still have a bit of payroll issue that would be alleviated by moving Peavy, who is due $11 million in salary this year. Oviously they have made it clear that such a trade needs to make baseball sense. Everyone gets that. Still, the payroll situation isn't great. Unless the Padres trade Peavy or another player with a sizable salary, the Padres would have to float at least $5 million in salary to meet the $40 million payroll mandated by owner John Moores (who so fa, has made itclear he isn't interesting in making cash calls this year). To make the payroll numbers work, the Padres could aniticipate trading Peavy or Brian Giles this season. But that plan exposes the club to risks such as an injury, under-performance by Giles or Peavy, or Giles vetoing a trade, something he did last August. If Peavy were to suffer an elbow flareup at all like the one of last May, his trade value would be nil, considering that he is still owed $63 million.
The Cubs now have two left-handed pitchers -- Olson and Sean Marshall -- who interested the Padres in the Peavy trade talks. Leading into the winter meetings, the Padres liked their chances of getting Marshall, but the Cubs removed him from consideration during talks in Las Vegas. Obviously now it would be easier for the Cubs to part with one or two of those lefties if they would get Peavy. Again, others in the deal almost certainly would include the Cubs' top prospect -- Single-A third baseman Josh Vitters -- and Cubs reliever Kevin Hart.

[SportsWorld]

I hope Hendry can get the Peavy talks back on otherwise this offseason was pretty much a waste.

Lost:
Kerry Wood
Mark DeRosa
Jason Marquis
Felix Pie (Meh)
Jim Edmonds

Added:
Milton Bradley
Kevin Gregg
Luis Vizcaino
Joey Gathright
Aaron Miles
Scott Olsen

[IbreakNeckZ101]

Get'r done fat boy!!!

[Ruben Douglas]

I hope Hendry can get the Peavy talks back on otherwise this offseason was pretty much a waste.

Lost:
Kerry Wood
Mark DeRosa
Jason Marquis
Felix Pie (Meh)
Jim Edmonds

Added:
Milton Bradley
Kevin Gregg
Luis Vizcaino
Joey Gathright
Aaron Miles
Scott Olsen

You can't say it is a waste if they don't get Peavy. For a few reasons. First, we have to see what Milton Bradley brings to the table...he could have zero influence or he could be a catalyst for this team. I think the later would be stretching it but you never know.

Losing Wood hurts, but it all comes down to how Gregg and Marmol fare as set up and closer. Remember that getting rid of Howry is a bonus...you can't do any worse than he was last season.

I think the other item we have to consider is how the prospects we received for DeRosa and Pie turn out...when I say "turn out" I mean, will they contribute directly to the Cubs in the future or will they prove to be key pieces to a future trade this off season or at the trade deadline.

I'm not saying this off season couldn't prove to be a waste, I'm just saying that a lot has gone on in terms of "minor" dealings that have the potential to get the Cubs over that hump that we call winning a game in the playoffs.