yagsy
02-26-2005, 11:52 AM
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sd/news/sd_news.jsp?ymd=20050225&content_id=951080&vkey=spt2005news&fext=.jsp
Notes: Looking to lock up Peavy
Pitchers throw first live batting practice
By John Schlegel / MLB.com
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/images/2005/02/25/W2xwJeDW.jpg
Jake Peavy is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2008 season. (Elaine Thompson/AP)
PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres love the way Jake Peavy battles on the mound, and they'd just as soon avoid ever having to battle him in an arbitration case.
That's why general manager Kevin Towers is devoting a lot of his time and energy early this spring on working out a long-term contract with their 23-year-old ace right-hander that would cover his arbitration years, and perhaps beyond.
Towers is becoming more optimistic by the day that something will get done before March 2, the team's deadline to settle contracts with players with 0-3 years of experience in the Majors.
"My gut tells me we'll be able to work something out," Towers said Friday. "We've made a lot of progress these last couple of days."
Peavy, while understandably cautious, has much the same gut feeling.
"I think there's reason to have some optimism," Peavy said. "But we'll have to see what happens."
In his second full season last year, Peavy led the National League in ERA with a 2.27 mark while going 15-6 in 27 starts. This year, he is slated to start the team's home opener at PETCO Park against Pittsburgh on April 7.
Peavy would be eligible for arbitration next winter if a long-term deal isn't worked out before then, and he'd have two more years of eligibility before becoming a free agent following the 2008 season.
Towers said he and agent Barry Axelrod have discussed adding an option year to the deal that would cover Peavy's first year of free agency as well.
Aside from giving Peavy some security and the club an ability to budget his salary into the payroll for several years, a long-term deal would negate the possibility of having to engage in a potentially contentious arbitration process.
"The last thing you'd want to do is get to an impasse with somebody like him, because he's such a good individual and such a big part of our club," Towers said.
Besides, the club has good reason to be concerned about arbitration the way Peavy has started out his career.
"He's the type of guy who, if he goes out and has the type of year he had this year again, could be a very difficult arbitration case for us, especially with the guys we have who are free agents next offseason," Towers said, referring to Trevor Hoffman, Brian Giles and Ramon Hernandez.
Live from Peoria, it's BP: Several pitchers threw live batting practice to hitters in batting cages Friday for the first time this Spring Training.
It's an annual rite of spring that gets hitters right on their toes from the very beginning of camp, and at times features some wildness from pitchers because it's so early. The latter wasn't the case this year.
"All the pitchers I saw threw very well today," Bochy said. "They threw a lot of strikes and had some real quality sessions."
Woody Williams, Peavy and Brian Lawrence pitched in succession on one field, but only the veteran Williams was allowed to do so without the protective screen coaches use to pitch batting practice.
Short hops: Bochy was pleased with the pace of the team's first full-squad workout, which lasted about four hours and concluded with a group of position players doing running drills around the outer edge of the infield. "We went through our fundamentals and everybody was serious but at the same time having fun out there," Bochy said. "They're going out there with the attitude that we have work to do." ... Shortstop Khalil Greene is among three players with 1-2 years experience whose contracts will either be settled or renewed by the club by the March 2 deadline. Catcher Miguel Ojeda and reliever Blaine Neal are the others. ... The Padres' players and coaches will have to put their smiling faces on very early Saturday, because the annual photo day -- when rows of photographers from various publications and trading card companies take their mugs and other setup shots -- kicks off at 7:30 a.m. MT.
John Schlegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Notes: Looking to lock up Peavy
Pitchers throw first live batting practice
By John Schlegel / MLB.com
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/images/2005/02/25/W2xwJeDW.jpg
Jake Peavy is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2008 season. (Elaine Thompson/AP)
PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres love the way Jake Peavy battles on the mound, and they'd just as soon avoid ever having to battle him in an arbitration case.
That's why general manager Kevin Towers is devoting a lot of his time and energy early this spring on working out a long-term contract with their 23-year-old ace right-hander that would cover his arbitration years, and perhaps beyond.
Towers is becoming more optimistic by the day that something will get done before March 2, the team's deadline to settle contracts with players with 0-3 years of experience in the Majors.
"My gut tells me we'll be able to work something out," Towers said Friday. "We've made a lot of progress these last couple of days."
Peavy, while understandably cautious, has much the same gut feeling.
"I think there's reason to have some optimism," Peavy said. "But we'll have to see what happens."
In his second full season last year, Peavy led the National League in ERA with a 2.27 mark while going 15-6 in 27 starts. This year, he is slated to start the team's home opener at PETCO Park against Pittsburgh on April 7.
Peavy would be eligible for arbitration next winter if a long-term deal isn't worked out before then, and he'd have two more years of eligibility before becoming a free agent following the 2008 season.
Towers said he and agent Barry Axelrod have discussed adding an option year to the deal that would cover Peavy's first year of free agency as well.
Aside from giving Peavy some security and the club an ability to budget his salary into the payroll for several years, a long-term deal would negate the possibility of having to engage in a potentially contentious arbitration process.
"The last thing you'd want to do is get to an impasse with somebody like him, because he's such a good individual and such a big part of our club," Towers said.
Besides, the club has good reason to be concerned about arbitration the way Peavy has started out his career.
"He's the type of guy who, if he goes out and has the type of year he had this year again, could be a very difficult arbitration case for us, especially with the guys we have who are free agents next offseason," Towers said, referring to Trevor Hoffman, Brian Giles and Ramon Hernandez.
Live from Peoria, it's BP: Several pitchers threw live batting practice to hitters in batting cages Friday for the first time this Spring Training.
It's an annual rite of spring that gets hitters right on their toes from the very beginning of camp, and at times features some wildness from pitchers because it's so early. The latter wasn't the case this year.
"All the pitchers I saw threw very well today," Bochy said. "They threw a lot of strikes and had some real quality sessions."
Woody Williams, Peavy and Brian Lawrence pitched in succession on one field, but only the veteran Williams was allowed to do so without the protective screen coaches use to pitch batting practice.
Short hops: Bochy was pleased with the pace of the team's first full-squad workout, which lasted about four hours and concluded with a group of position players doing running drills around the outer edge of the infield. "We went through our fundamentals and everybody was serious but at the same time having fun out there," Bochy said. "They're going out there with the attitude that we have work to do." ... Shortstop Khalil Greene is among three players with 1-2 years experience whose contracts will either be settled or renewed by the club by the March 2 deadline. Catcher Miguel Ojeda and reliever Blaine Neal are the others. ... The Padres' players and coaches will have to put their smiling faces on very early Saturday, because the annual photo day -- when rows of photographers from various publications and trading card companies take their mugs and other setup shots -- kicks off at 7:30 a.m. MT.
John Schlegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.