With the White Sox's season on the ropes, Jake Peavy did what any ultra-intense, fiercely competitive bulldog of an ace would do.
He told the media that he would want out if Kenny Williams started dealing away veterans for younger players.
Wait. What?
"I just want a chance to win,'' Peavy said. "I believe it can happen here. I'm excited to be in the situation. Nothing's changed just because we haven't played well. I'm excited to be in a situation where you talk about it's not going to be a rebuilding process. If that were the case, I would certainly try to be moved, but that's the least of my worries."
This is the second time Peavy has expressed zero desire to be part of a rebuilding effort. From May 17:
"At this point in my career, I certainly don't want to be a part of any rebuilding process. I hope that would be understandable."
It's understandable to a certain extent. There's just one small, teeny, tiny little problem, and in case Peavy happens to reading:
Jake, you're the reason this team sucks.
That's only a mild exaggeration. Everybody knew this team would be struggling to put up runs, and that if there were any hope of competing, it would rest on the shoulders of Peavy and the rest of the starters. Three-fifths of the rotation have faltered, but Peavy's been the biggest disappointment by far. He needed seven innings of one-run ball against the injury-ravaged Indians to drop his ERA below 6.00, and it's still the third-worst in the American League.
He's not the only reason the Sox aren't even within spitting distance of .500, but when it comes to the players, it's his mess. Carlos Quentin, Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd may also have huge shares of the culpability, but Peavy is making more than any of them. And he was certainly talking the biggest game.
If I'm Kenny Williams, I'd be awfully tempted to invite Peavy into my office, close the door, and channel this rage:
This isn't a Roy Halladay situation.Halladay put up Cy Young-caliber numbers year after year, only to watch his organization deteriorate from the inside out as he entered the second half of what might be a Hall of Fame career. He truly gave the Jays all he could, performance-wise, and they weren't giving anything back.
And even then, he didn't request a trade formally; he just told the Blue Jays that he was going to enter free agency at the end of his contract, giving Toronto a chance to recoup some value.
Peavy isn't Halladay, a great pitcher trapped in an awful situation. His lousy year is Reason No. 1 -- or 1(a) at worst -- why his team is having a lousy year. It doesn't necessarily surprise me that he thinks he deserves better, but it certainly goes against everything we were led to believe.
If this situation disintegrates, this would be the second time in three years that the Sox made a major investment of talent and money into a player who goes from poster boy to pariah. Peavy is Google Mapping the Nick Swisher Tollway Out of Town, so much so that even the beginnings of their respective White Sox careers are marked by the same harbingers of doom.
Ozzie Guillen on Swisher:
Guillen's hatred had nothing to do with Swisher's style of play or hiscompetitive bravado often times coming forth in the heat of the moment.There was another reason for dislike.
"Because he was good," said Guillen with a laugh. "I like the cockiness,and I think we're missing that. We need people with a little flavor onthe ballclub.
"This kid goes out there and enjoys the game. He wants to win and hewants to beat people. When you're good, I think you have a tendency tohate the guy when he plays against you.
Manager Ozzie Guillen joked about not liking Peavy very much when he sawhim pitching during Spring Training, due to his boisterous moundantics. Guillen even started yelling back at Peavy. But in watching theultra-competitive Peavy journey down this comeback trail with greatdetermination, Guillen has dubbed him a "real bulldog, not a fakebulldog."
There is a difference between the two situations, and it's slightly funny. Swisher, extrovert and class clown supreme, let his differences with management play out mostly under the media radar, whereas Peavy, Everybody's All-American and The Guy You'd Want In Your Foxhole, is outwardly expressing interest in fighting for the other side.
If there's any justice, Peavy won't be the Bob Nardelli of White Sox pitchers and granted an entirely undeserved golden parachute. But, if you read on, it looks like this is one of many fights Williams may not have the endurance for.
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Williams sounded resigned in his interview with MLB.com, during which he and Jerry Reinsdorf officially confirmed that tensions this year were at an all-time high.
He also gave credence to one of my running theories:
"Whether or not the maintenance of that relationship is such that westill have the drive to get through some things and still have the driveto get through some differences ... I'm still in that assessment modefor myself, in particular.
"That should not lead to the assumption that I mean that [Guillen] isthe one [who may benefit from a change of scenery]. If I determine that Iam the one that is the cog in the machine, then I am the one who willstand in front of [White Sox chairman] Jerry Reinsdorf and tell him soand step aside. ... I will not deny that I am growing weary of the soapopera."
And Joe Cowley elaborated on the latest melodrama, as an argument over Ozzie Guillen's comments over Ozney Guillen's draft position almost led to blows:
One source indicated that Williams was instructed by Reinsdorf not totravel on road trips -- which he hasn't -- to avoid any confrontationwith Guillen. But a confrontation couldn't be avoided Tuesday. Guillenwatched Ozney slip to the 22nd round in the draft before the Soxselected him. Guillen then commented, ''I give my kid 50 grand just togo to school [at the University of South Florida rather than sign withthe Sox]. I got 50 grand in my pocket to send my kid to go to Niketownor buy something.''
According to the source, that comment led to Williams questioningGuillen to his face, and the situation got heated.
If the upcoming MLB Network reality show doesn't have us watching it through our fingers, they're doing it wrong.
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Minor league roundup:
- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5, Charlotte 2
- Dayan Viciedo went 2-for-3 with a double.
- Brent Morel and Tyler Flowers each went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts; Jordan Danks struck out once.
- Carlos Torres limited damage: 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
- Clevelan Santeliz had control issues, walking three batters while just retiring two.
- Montgomery 13, Birmingham 5
- Charlie Shirek still has major problems, allowing seven runs on 13 hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two.
- C.J. Retherford went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two strikeouts.
- Wilmington 13, Winston-Salem 2
- Jon Gilmore went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk, but committed two errors, Nos. 19 and 20.
- Justin Greene went 2-for-4 with a strikeout; Brandon Short 1-for-5 with a K.
- Eduardo Escobar was hitless in four at-bats.
- Short outing for Nevin Griffith, who allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks over two innings, striking out two.
- Kyle Bellamy allowed four unearned runs on three hits an in inning of work, striking out one.
- Dan Remenowsky threw two shutout innings, striking out two while allowing three hits.
- Kannapolis 2, Asheville 1
- Joe Serafin went eight strong innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits and a walk. He struck out five.
- Nick Ciolli went 1-for-3.
- Kyle Colligan (one K), Brady Shoemaker (two Ks) and Miguel Gonzalez (the same) each went 0-for-3.
