Agent Barry Axelrod told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that Peavy has a "strong preference" to stay in the National League. That preference, along with Peavy's fondness for his new home in Southern California, could impede a proposed deal that would send the pitcher to Chicago.
Olney: The prospects
ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney talked to a talent evaluator for his opinion on two of the principals in the proposed Jake Peavy trade:
"[Aaron] Poreda, to me, has a plus fastball. But he's got below-average command and off-speed stuff at this stage in his career. He is a good-looking prospect now, either for the bullpen or as a starter. [Clayton] Richards is a sinker-slider kind of guy, with good stuff. I'd project him as a middle-of-the-rotation or bottom-of-the-rotation kind of guy."
• More: Olney's blog
ESPN's Peter Gammons reported that according to sources, the White Sox would send the Padres four players to complete a deal for Peavy. ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reported that, as of early Thursday afternoon, there was not an official offer in front of Peavy.
Sources told Gammons that White Sox shortstop prospect Gordon Beckham is not among the players in the proposed deal. Beckham was the eighth overall pick in last year's amateur draft.
Left-hander Aaron Poreda, a former No. 1 pick, is included in the deal, according to reports, and ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reported that the White Sox also would send left-hander Clayton Richard.
But none of that matters if Peavy, who has a full no-trade clause and can veto the deal, doesn't agree.
"If I had to make a bet on it, I would guess that Jake would say he's not ready to take that step today," Axelrod said. "But he wouldn't necessarily preclude it at any time in the future.
"We aren't hiding anything from anybody. Jake has a strong preference to stay in the National League. He has a comfort zone there, he's been successful, and he's won a Cy Young Award. I don't know that on May 21, that preference has eroded very much. From our point of view we may say, 'Let's give [the Padres] more time and see if a National League team might step up over the next six weeks.'
"If this were any one of three or four other teams and they called about him, Jake would jump at it. He would be willing. They know who they are. They know that certain places are more enticing to him."
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Axelrod said that Padres general manager Kevin Towers spoke to him Wednesday and indicated that a trade with the White Sox was on the "front burner." But Axelrod and Peavy had less than a half-hour to discuss the potential move to Chicago, and they planned to speak again Thursday.
Peavy called White Sox right-hander Scott Linebrink last night for his opinion about going to Chicago and got strong feedback, Gammons reported.
"Jake called me [Wednesday] afternoon to ask about what it's like here in Chicago," said Linebrink, according to ESPNChicago.com's Levine. "I think he's ready to move on, but I can't tell you for sure he's going to accept the deal. Losing 100 games, like they did last year, wears on a player.
"Right now, I'd say it's 50-50 as to whether he accepts it or not. He'll get with his family today and make a decision."
Linebrink was Peavy's teammate in San Diego.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported early Thursday that the two teams were near a deal and that according to team personnel, Peavy met with Padres manager Bud Black late Wednesday night to discuss the possibility. Peavy declined comment after meeting with Black, the newspaper reported.
Peavy's preference for the National League and his fondness for California would appear to put the Los Angeles Dodgers high on his wish list. But any deal between San Diego and L.A. would be complicated by the fact that the teams are divisional rivals and are located about two hours from each other. Even if the Dodgers were interested in putting together a package for Peavy, which is uncertain, they do not have much of a trading history with the Padres. The Chicago Cubs were also mentioned as a possible suitor for Peavy throughout the offseason.
Peavy's contract includes a full no-trade clause for both this year and 2010. It shifts to a partial no-trade clause in the final two years of his deal in 2011 and 2012.
Axelrod said that if Peavy consents to a trade, he will insist upon having a no-trade clause for the duration of the contract. If Peavy were to remain in San Diego, he would attain his 10-and-5 service time (10 years in the majors, five years with the same franchise) and have the right to veto any deal starting in 2012.
According to Axelrod, Peavy might also be more inclined to ask for financial concessions -- such as a contract extension -- if he agrees to go to a team that isn't high on his list of preferred sites.
"If it's a team that Jake deems to be very desirable, he might be looking for something on the minimal side," Axelrod said. "If it's a team where he feels he's sacrificing some things -- geographically or otherwise -- he might ask for more."
Peavy, who won the 2007 NL Cy Young Award, has an 89-67 career record with a 3.27 ERA. In 2007 he earned the pitching Triple Crown by leading the National League with 19 wins, 240 strikeouts and a 2.54 ERA.
Peavy is due to earn $11 million this season. Towers has said the Padres are about $5 million above the $40 million player payroll that the team's majority owner, John Moores, has set for this season, according to the Union-Tribune.
Peavy is currently 3-5 with a 3.82 ERA for the Padres, who are 18-22 and third in the NL West, 10 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
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