Trading Peavy Would Have Been a Horrible Mistake

Since Dave isn't going to voice his opinion, Padres Nation, I've decided I'm going to take the initiative.

While I may not be a die-hard Padres supporter, I'm still utterly disgusted with the actions of the team's management today. A mere 40 games into the season, San Diego attempted to trade their ace, Jake Peavy, to the Chicago White Sox. Worse, it's not like the season is over, they are in second place in the division right now!

Fortunately for Padres' fans, Peavy has exercised his no-trade clause and will not become a member of the White Sox. But the lingering question is, why would the Padres have tried to trade Jake in the first place?

Here is their reasoning: 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.

So let me get this straight. You're interested in trading Jake Peavy, the team's franchise player, in order to save $5 million this year? Just today you swapped Jody Gerut for Brewers OF Tony Gwynn Jr, saving the team about $1.2 million in 2009. You mean to tell me you can't pull off a few more moves like that?

If conserving finances is in fact the primary issue, I will offer another way to save money. Brian Giles is earning $9 million this season. Yes, this is the same Brian Giles that is hitting LEADOFF with a .166 batting average. In 145 at-bats he has just 24 hits, only 2 have been homeruns. Giles couldn't hit a beach ball at this point of his career; why the Padres keep him at the top of the order is beyond me. Regardless, here's what they need to do. Manny Ramirez recently failed a steroids test and was suspended 50 games. The Dodgers don't have to pay his salary during his suspension. Someone needs to hold Giles down and inject him with some HGH. Think about it, this is a flawless plan. The Padres save like $3 million and when Giles comes back, he may actually hit with some power again. And they can keep Jake too.

More importantly, why are the Padres trying to save money in the first place? They have the second lowest payroll in the majors already! The only team that actually spends less than them are the Marlins. Shouldn't they be focusing on spending more money? How can San Diego's owner expect to be competitive in major league baseball if he refuses to dedicate an adequate amount of funding to the team?

A Peavy trade would be a slap in the face to the Padres' fan base. Although the team has a sub-500 record (18-22), San Diego ranks 17th in the MLB in average attendance. To put this into perspective, the Padres attract more fans than Tampa Bay (2008 World Series runner-up), the Toronto Blue Jays (currently 1st in the AL East) and Texas (1st place in the AL West).

What does this mean?

People in San Diego like watching baseball! The weather is always perfect, the park is easily accessible and the city is fairly wealthy as well. If there is a substantial number of fans buying tickets to watch the less-than-mediocre Padres right now, just imagine the potential if they started winning. If management constructed a squad that could realistically be competitive in the National League, the Padres attendance could skyrocket. Attendance numbers could easily reach the top 10 in the majors.

Since the fans are actually showing up, reward them. Keep Jake Peavy. He's the face of the franchise. A former Cy Young winner and one of the top pitchers in the National League. He'd be the best pitcher in the NL if he actually had some consistent run support.

Even better, he loves the city and likes playing in San Diego. Pitchers with his talent are few and far between. Don't make the mistake of trading him away.

- Scottie