San Diego (AP),

Jake Peavy heard so many rumors last season and this offseason he was being traded, that he really never felt at home in Chicago and lived in his suitcase in hotels on the South Side.

“I’m looking forward to going to San Diego, buying a house, and settling in. I can’t wait to meet the guys, and pitch in a pitchers dream ballpark, Petco Park.” Peavy said.

San Diego shipped out fan favorite, Rookie Of The Year, CF Grady Sizemore. Also heading to the Cubs is SP Tony Armas Jr., and MR Ben Hendrickson.

“Losing a guy like Grady makes me feel sick to my stomach. If CF Freddy Guzman wasn’t ready to take over in Center for us, I’d never in my wildest, pull the trigger on a trade like this. I think Guz is ready; he already can win Gold Gloves, and his speed has been there, so it’s just a matter of adjusting to Major League pitching.” GM Mike Orav said.

GM Will Keathley of the Cubs was quoted today as saying, “It’s hard to trade away the second best pitcher in the league, but Armas Jr. is no slouch and Sizemore is two years away from Arbitration. Peavy makes $9.5M from Arbitration this year.”

So, was this deal a financial one? Many analysts think in the short term, yes. But both Peavy and Sizemore will command multi-million dollar, long-term contracts in the next couple years.
It appears, the Padres have positioned themselves per the “Orav Model” as the GM notably said his long-term philosophy would be to win by using strong pitching, superior defense, and timely hitting.

“Guzman, we believe, is an upgrade defensively. We also thought that the best overall player in the trade (Peavy) is coming our way. So we get stronger on defense and pitching in this deal. We also think in getting SP Zack Duke, that our 4 man rotation is the “Best in the West” and will need to chill the hot bats of our division foes.” Orav later quipped.

The Cubs offense looks stacked with Delgado, V-Mart and Sheffield. That gives a lot of protection to a guy like Sizemore and he should see plenty of good pitches to hit; and that will increase his production.
Are Cy Young and MVP awards awaiting these two studs? Only time will tell…