Monday, December 3, 2007

Reports: Padres nearing extension for ace Peavy

The San Diego Padres want to make sure they don't lose a Cy Young winner.

Multiple media reports on Sunday said that Jake Peavy and the team are on the verge of an extension that would keep the ace right-hander in San Diego through the 2012 season.

Jake 'N Bake

Jake Peavy led the National League in wins, ERA and strikeouts. The right-hander is on a short list of pitchers who, in the last 40 years, can make that claim:

Kings Of Sling
  Year Wins ERA K's
Peavy, Padres 2007 19 2.54 240
Randy Johnson,
Diamondbacks
2002 24 2.32 334
Dwight Gooden, Mets 1985 24 1.53 268
Steve Carlton, Phillies 1972 27 1.97 310

"We're moving in that direction," Padres CEO Sandy Alderson said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. "We're optimistic."

A major league source told Foxsports.com that the deal would average between $17 million and $17.5 million per season.

The Padres didn't have to worry about losing Peavy in the near future. He was under contract for 2008 at $6.5 million, and the Padres had an $11 million option for 2009. The Twins, however, wanted to be proactive.

If Johan Santana, a two-time AL Cy Young winner, gets traded by the Twins, he could demand an extension upward of $150 million for six years from his new team. The 26-year-old Peavy could end up looking like a bargain and would make less per season than the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano or the Giants' Barry Zito.


Source: ESPN.com

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