Didn't see that coming

August 5, 12:48 PMSan Diego Padres ExaminerJudson Green

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Peavy has gone to the Chicago's south side.

I wasn't expecting Jake Peavy to be traded this season. Deals had fallen through too many times. A headline that said the Padres were close to striking a deal usually meant the opposite. Even if the sides did come together, Peavy could still nix it with his no-trade clause. Like he did when the Padres reached an agreement with the White Sox on May 21. And since he had been on the disabled list since June 8 with a strained tendon in his right ankle, I had no reason to think there would be takers.

Indeed, as the trade deadline approached, the names bandied about were Adrian Gonzalez, Heath Bell, Kevin Correia, and David Eckstein. Peavy wasn't a part of the rumors. But the White Sox surprised the Padres, offering to take on his full contract, with 2009's salary being pro-rated to the end of the season, and give them four pitchers in return, with left-hander Aaron Poreda being the prize. Naturally, he's 6'6", 240, so he can blend in with the Padres' own top prospects, Kyle Blanks and Mat Latos.

Nevertheless, Peavy was expected to go some time, so the surprise wasn't too big. The Padres just couldn't handle his salary. They began the season with a payroll just under $44 million, according to USA Today, and still needed to drop more. What's the use of having one player take up a quarter of your payroll, anyway? The Padres made it quite clear they intended to trade him.

In spite of their awareness of the constant pressure from ownership for general manager Kevin Towers to unload Peavy's contract, fans are still bitter. It has been a painful season, despite the Padres' recent run of success. They've still been outscored by more runs than any team in baseball, because of the blowouts. Fans notice those kinds of games. Frustration boils over. And then we say comparing the Padres to a minor league team is insulting to minor leaguers, or whatever rant one would like to fill in there.

After all, Peavy was unanimously voted the 2007 Cy Young winner. He led the NL in pitching's Triple Crown: wins, ERA, and strikeouts that year. That offseason, the Padres gave him a three-year extension worth $52 million, which would begin in 2009 with an $11 million salary. He was 26 years old, grown in their farm system, and already the most dominant starter in club history. They had to keep him. He was meant to be a Padre icon. Instead, he's gone.

I'm not going to complain. The Padres have more payroll flexibility. While they are a low budget team, the Padres usually aren't bottom dwellers, and this could give them maneuverability when things return to normal. They have good prospects coming in. Latos and Blanks look pretty good. Adrian Gonzalez might get traded in the offseason. Should that happen, the Padres will bear only the slightest resemblance to a major league team, but think of the prospects they'd get! Better hotshots than they got for Peavy. I prefer to be a hopeless optimist and assume every one becomes a superstar. It's easy to be detached from reality when a season like this has made me so numb.