Jon Heyman from SI.com talked with Kevin Towers on Monday about the latest on the Jake Peavy Watch, as Heyman phrased it. Heyman, like so many others, believes that Peavy will end up with the Braves but instead of continuing to speculate about a possible trade with Atlanta, Heyman went directly to the Padres GM.
Towers did not agree with Heyman that the Braves are “the best chance for a deal” and according to Heyman, “at the moment, he (Towers) appears to be favoring the Cubs chances.” Kevin Towers told Jon Heyman that he thinks “there’s a chance of maybe putting together a deal with Chicago. At least I know he’s willing to go there.”
Heyman reported there are “two complications“….the Cubs’ ownership and the fact there would need to be a third team involved in the deal that would net the Cubs Jake Peavy. Heyman said the Padres “like the Cubs prospects” but they do not “love them” and one of the players the Padres did like was Jose Ceda. Heyman said, “Those are some very real complications with the Cubs.”
Bruce Levine indicated on Saturday that the talks between Kevin Towers and Jim Hendry have been tabled (at the time) for 10 days. Levine did not state a specific reason for the talks being delayed.
The main sticking point on the Braves landing Peavy appears to be Atlanta’s unwillingness to allow Peavy to extend his “no-trade provision beyond 2010.” Heyman stated that Towers has not spoken with Atlanta in two weeks or talked to a possible third team of late.
Heyman finished with “the Peavy situation may drag out for a while.”
While Kevin Towers favored the Cubs chances to land Peavy on Monday, the latest from the Cubs Mailbag on the same day, stated in two different responses that the Cubs do not have enough in the budget to add Jake Peavy and the remainder of his contract…after they re-signed Ryan Dempster.
Stay tuned…..