It's a done deal. The final tally: Jake Peavy for Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Dexter Carter and Adam Russell.
Kenny Williams is the master of "Shock and Hm." After getting leveled by the surprise of it all, I recover and find that I have no strong feelings either way.
It's a fair deal. The Padres give up a Cy Young-caliber pitcher for four guys who aren't great bets to be even half the starter Peavy is. The White Sox can't use Peavy right away (he's going to start rehab in the middle of August), and when he's (hopefully) at full strength in 2010, he'll be commanding front-line starter money with no cash from San Diego. He'll enter a three-year, $52 million extension next season with a $22 million option ($4 million buyout) next season.
If you're hankering to get fired up, here's the key:
- Mark Buehrle
- Jake Peavy
- John Danks
- Gavin Floyd
That's what this deal is all about. The Twins take Orlando Cabrera off Oakland's hands, which could be a downgrade if he doesn't shape up. The Tigers shore up their rotation by picking up Jarrod Washburn for a couple of so-so prospects, a solid starter who's either en route to a career year or back to Earth.
Just when you think the Sox are standing pat, Williams beats the clock by sending two exciting pitching prospects, one decent big-league starter and one Loch Ness Monster for Peavy.After which, he hangs up the phone and does the Sam Cassell Dance:
I'll have more on the guys the Sox sent packing tomorrow, but I wouldn't overlook Adam Russell's involvement in this trade.Three reasons:
No. 1: Russell's had a nice season in Charlotte.
No. 2: The Padres know how to get through to really tall guys (see: Chris Young).
No. 3: The Padres know how to work with other team's disappointments (see: Heath Bell, Cla Meredith, Mike Adams).
What happens to Russell won't really matter to the White Sox since he wasn't in their plans, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up having a nice season for the Friars next year.
