I'd make the deal, even if Vitters were included, and I'd hate to see him go...No way I trade both Vitters AND Marshall for Peavy, nor would I include Samardzija under any circumstances.

JimK - the Pads don't need a young catching prospect. They have a solid young catcher in Hundley, and Henry Blanco was brought in to help mentor him like he did Soto.

As near as I can tell, Peavy is owed $56 mil for years '09 through '12, and the team has a $22 mil option for '13. The rumor is that he wants the option guaranteed to O.K. a trade. That $22 mil could be the Cubs' deal breaker. My hope is that he will leave the option as it is, since he too wants to get out of San Diego.

Peavy's $8 or $9 mil for '09 is a bargain. That plus the payroll fire sale in San Diego along with Peavy wanting to play for the Cubs (and having to approve any deal) means we have a chance to get him. I do think it's a slim chance because of the money.

I think that we can keep Vitters in a deal--in part because the Pads have two young, high performers who are third basemen on their team (Kouzmanoff and Headley). One plays left field. I know they could move Vitters (to another position or team) later, but they need a top catching prospect more.

The only problem with that theory elliot and Bo is that usually at the trade deadline the only players available are those who are for rent. Now you would rather keep Vitters and Hart and Castillo to use to rent a guy for a couple of months and a run at the playoffs as opposed to using them for Peavy right now and having him for the next 3 years. Personally I dont think they should include Vitters but why keep the farm to sell for a rental that makes no sense. And I really hope Vitters isnt the next Kevin Orie or Gary Scott. They should move him to 1st base or a corner outfield spot, his D isnt good enough for 3rd. Anyways go get Peavy now, if not Peavy trade the farm for Roberts. The point is use them for upgrades that will produce for us beyond this year.

The last time Lee Hamilton got a story right was 1988 when he predicted a sunny day in San Diego.

I think I would believe a prediction from Ray Lewis on the Peavy talks before I believed anything that came out of Hacksaw's!

It seems that teams that can stay relatively healthy throughout the year are the successful ones. I'm already worried about our new right-fielder. I'm also worried that our young canadien will be lucky to hit 20 starts. The LAST thing I need to worry about is the health of another starting pitcher. If we're not careful, we could end up with a pitching staff that looked remarkably similar to the one the Cardinals sported last year (not that they did too bad...). Does anyone on this site really think that the Cubs can win this thing WITHOUT a healthy Bradley, Harden, and Peavy?

As Bo mentioned above in his post, I'd rather have guys producing at the AAA level who will serve as trade bait come trade deadline. I'm fairly confident that the Cubs will be contention at the halfway mark, even if Bradley or Harden go down. Using guys like Vitter, Hart, Castillo, will be essential to pull off a trade to replace injured pieces of the puzzle. I'd rather hold onto my chips now and play them when I need them most. And remember, Peavy will most likely still be a Padre come mid-season, when they'll probably be even more desperate to dump his salary.

I think this would get the deal done

Stevens

Hill

Hart

Castillo

Olson

I think you would have to include one more from the Dero trade or put marshall instead of Olsen. Otherswise I agree. Do not trade both Vitters and MArshall unless it is those two plus one other who is out of options.

For more discussion on Jake Peavy...check out Logan's post on the Community Blog

http://chicagocubsonline.com/community_blog/2009/01/ideas-for-a-peavy-trade.php

"who in their right or even half delusional minds would trade away 4 years of Jake Peavy for a deal w.o vitters in it?"

A team that needs to shed payroll

The cubs need Peavy very very badly because Zambrano is on and off Harden is injury prone and we do not know what to expect from Dempster.

Hey, I enjoy this site. I would like everyone to check out my Cubs Chat on Wednesday at 7:00 (CT). I will answered Cub related questions and everyone can share their Cubs opions. The chat will be posted right on this site:

http://cubsblog-cubbiefan07.blogspot.com/

ok jake peavy is under contract for four more years.

Vitters absolutely positively has to be in the deal.. i know we all want him, but lets be frank, who in their right or even half delusional minds would trade away 4 years of Jake Peavy for a deal w.o vitters in it?

I don't know how you can say no to pitching. Pitching wins championships and you can never have enough, plain and simple. Good thing Bruce Levine has no say in who gets traded, because giving up Vitters, Castillo and Stevens is just way to much. I can understand Castillo, we dont need him because we have a young stud catcher in Soto. But with Aram getting older and more injury prone, were going to need Vitters soon. I would much rather see Marshall apart of this trade then Vitters.

I love the fascination everyone has with Vitters. The guy has 2 minor league seasons...no higher than A-Ball. A mere 324 AB's. What has he done to impress so much? 5 home runs? His horrible .897 fielding percentage?

I can accept batting takes adjustments going to the "pros". But the fielding stays the same wherever you go.

Sure it's possible he may turn out to be a stud. But I think it's wayyyyy to hang that tag on him.. Just ask Felix Pie about the stud tag and how that works out.

For all we know Vitters is just the next Gary Scott or Kevin Orie at 3B.

Please keep in mind that Bruce Levine reported what he has heard or was told. You are right about pitching but Levine will not mention things over the air unless that is what he is hearing from reliable sources.

i love peavy but i do not want him. our rotation is not a problem and i know that it is hard tom turn down a cy young arm like peavy but i say no. we ned to keep our farm guys if for nothing else a mid season trade. we can not forsee the future and we do not know who is gonna go dowm. we can get sheets for less money and years. sure he has had more injury problems than peavy but less years and money also. remember the yankess desperatly needing to make a midseason trade but not having the farm to do so. i do not want that to be us...bb

What wins championships? Pitching...Pitching....Pitching....

Not to mention Harden is questionable to last the whole year and may have to be nursed through a season....We don't know what Zambrano is going to show up. Will he have arm issues again? So, adding another potent arm like Peavy is exactly the right thing to do.

The only problem I have right now is that bullpen.Once we make that trade who is going to be our long relief. Is it going to be Jeff Samarija. If it is who pitches the seventh inning for us Michael Wuertz or Angel Guzman. Last but not least if one of our starters get injured who is going to fill in.

If we get Peavy, I think it's fairly simple. The Closer and Set Up role goes to Gregg/Marmol. 7th inning goes to the Shark. You include Cotts and Marshall as the lefties. That's 5. Guzman probably gets a spot. Then probably Gaudin. I think Weurtz is traded. Another one that Lou didnt seem to care for.

I like how the pen is shaping up.

Ronald, do not forget Chad Gaudin. According to Bruce Levine they are also looking at a Ronny Cedeno for Aaron Heilman swap...but you are right, the bullpen is very questionable.

Forget Hamilton

He was the main Sports talk show host here in San Diego for a long time and was known for passing info on his "high speed wire" days after the information was public knowledge.

He's about as untrustworthy a source as you can possibly find which would make him a perfect fit for Baltimore Orioles hangout as their "insiders" seem to make it up as they go along also.

Very true statement...."Hacksaw" Hamilton is about as bad as it gets!! He is about the worst at reporting. And yes, his "off the wire" reports are "off the wire" and out of Jim Rome's recycling bin.....

Just glad this guy is gone from San Diego and stuck out in space on XM....

Kurt...I have been questioning his "sources" in my own head for a while. I think you have summed up what I was questioning. The only reason I continue to post his info is because he continues to report it.

The Orioles Hangout comparison is probably very accurate.

It duznt matter what the Angels are offering cuz Peavy wants to go to the National League...and he wants that team to be the Cubs...i dont remember him singin 'Go Angels Go' at the bars in vegas!

Joel...excellent point.

Aaron:

Neil has talked about Castillo a lot as well. What do you see in Hart? In 2007 I thought that Hart was good, last year the guy was just plain terrible in the big leagues.

Jim...first I agree with Aaron on Castillo. Major upside and has been compared to Yadier Molina. He is going to start the year in Iowa and will be just a roster move and a phone call away....if he is not traded.

I was very impressed with Kevin Hart in 2007 but last year he "forgot" how to throw strikes and fell out of favor with Piniella. I also agree with Aaron, he has the tools to be a very good pitcher at the big league level, an 'ace', I am not sure about.

I also agree with Aaron that if Castillo is involved they must not include Vitters. Hart, Olson, Stevens and Marshall is enough for Peavy and his contract. Not only will the Cubs be taking a big risk with Peavy and his injuries, they will also be taking on a ton of money.....5 years and more than $80 million.

I would rather see Micheal Wuertz in the deal. He is out of options, is 'affordable' and has Major League experience.

The other thing that must be kept in mind is the Padres 40-man is full as well. I read they had to let a player go to make room for Henry Blanco. With that said, trading Peavy for players on the Cubs 40-man roster could be poise to be a problem.

no joke man...Weaver and Adenhart alone would be worth it---and better than just Peavy. If I were the Padres, I'd do that trade in a heartbeat---HEARTBEAT.

If I were the Cubs, no way would I include Vitters in that deal. Olson was high on their wish list, and we got him. So was Stevens, the closer for Team USA, and we're throwing in Hart, and perhaps the next Soto---Castillo---to boot. That should be well enough to land Peavy if he'll only approve a trade to the Cubs. No way should we overpay for him, especially with the Padres ownership issues, payroll, and Peavy's recent injuries.

In my mind, I think Hart is going to be a phenomenal pitcher one day, and might even turn into an ace one day, even though he's 27 years old right now. He's got an excellent fastball and slider, and he'd been working on a splitter if I recall. He'll be a gem in the trade, he just wasn't given a real chance with us, always being shuttled back and forth between Iowa, which wasn't fair. Stevens will be good, Olson's a weird choice for them, but if they really want him, and we've got him, then we have the advantage there. Castillo will be a solid MLB player one day---perhaps not Soto---but he'll be solid.

If I were Hendry, I'd stick to my guns: Stevens, Olson, Hart, and Castillo for Peavy, and that's all they're getting.

I just hope they dont trade Vitters (ranked #14 best prospect and #1 3B prospect in all of baseball) or Marshall AND Olson together. Other than that, I'm all for it. Maybe Marshall, Hart, Stevens,Castillo gets it done?

The package of players that the Angels would send is better than anything that the Cubs could offer. Actually, I wouldn't mind the cubs trading for what the Angels are offering.