I’m an A’s fan and I’m bored.

The Jake Peavy trade saga is the most interesting story around right now and I couldn’t help but notice the obstacles involved. Please bear with me as I give a brief synopsis of how I understand the situation.

The Braves want Peavy but they don’t want to give up Heyward, Schafer, Hanson or Teheran. OK, a deal might be possible as long as Yunel Escobar is involved. Supposedly Escobar has been offered with one of Jo Jo Reyes/Charlie Morton plus a third prospect. I’ve heard that the Braves would be willing to discuss Gorkys Hernandez. But wait a second, Peavy and his no-trade clause is worried about going to a Braves team that no longer has Escobar. So even if the Braves could come up with a package that appeases the Padres and doesn’t cost them their top prospects it could still fall apart if Jake Peavy isn’t happy.

From San Diego’s perspective, there’s no way a deal happens unless Escobar is involved. Ideally one of Hanson or Schafer would come over with Escobar but the Braves are holding those guys tight. Hernandez is a legit CF prospect but the problem with Reyes or Morton is… well, they’re Reyes and Morton. Reyes has been horrid thus far in his big league career. He’s still young enough to improve (and a move to Petco wouldn’t hurt his numbers) but damn he’s posted some ugly numbers for Atlanta. Morton kinda came out of nowhere this year and it’s hard to feel comfortable about him being the arm you get in return for trading Jake Peavy.

If I’m San Diego, an Escobar/Reyes/Hernandez package does not get a deal done.

So the obvious move would be for the Braves to add more to their offer, but let’s be honest, any team that holds back their top 4-5 prospects is going to have a hard time finding the pieces to land Jake Peavy. Here’s where my interest kicks in. I’ve got a proposal that I believe is 90-95% of the way of getting a deal done but I’d like to get the input from Braves and Padres fans to make it all fair. So I’m sending this post to both Talking Chop and Gaslamp Ball to get some ideas.

Look, I understand that some folks on both sides are dead set against this deal happening. To them I say thanks for taking the time to read this and please don’t flame the thread. To the rest, let me hear some ideas to make this all work out.

Padres get: Daric Barton, Vincent Mazzaro, Gio Gonzalez (Oak)

                      Yunel Escobar, Gorkys Hernandez (Atl)

Braves get: Jake Peavy (SD)

                      Bobby Crosby (Oak)

A’s get: Adrian Gonzalez (SD)

              Tyler Flowers (Atl)

(Gives a minute for the yelling to subside.)

OK, let me explain some of the details.

I realize that San Diego doesn’t want to move Adrian Gonzalez, but there needs to be some incentive for Oakland to get involved. I thought about dropping Chase Headley in place of Adrian but from what I’ve read the Padres FO hold Headley as dear to their hearts as much as the Braves love Hanson.

Losing Escobar might irk Peavy, but I seriously doubt he’s up to speed on the latest defensive metrics. He almost certainly knows who Bobby Crosby is and while I’ll be the first to admit that Crosby pretty much sucks with the bat he does project to be an average defensive SS in 2009. Moving out of the AL and away from the Coliseum can only help Crosby’s bat (and it needs all the help it can get) but more importantly his arrival should keep Peavy from nixing the trade. Furthermore, an Escobar/Hernandez/Flowers package is probably a bit less than what they were originally willing to pay. (That’s debatable and I’ll leave that debate to Braves’ fans.)

If this is weak tea for anyone, it’s the Padres. Daric Barton offers up an immediate replacement to Adrian and while his 2008 season sucked his minor league numbers are good enough to still interest Kevin Towers and his ex-A’s associates. If the Padres don’t need a 2009 ready replacement for Gonzalez and they’d prefer someone other than Barton then that player could still come from the Oakland organization. Mazzaro and Gonzalez offer up a lot more upside than Reyes/Morton and both could be ready to pitch in San Diego by the middle of 2009, Gio Gonzalez maybe sooner. The Padres still get Escobar and Gorkys becomes their CF of the future.

Now, I’ve read that the Padres want a MLB ready SP, middle infield help and a bullpen arm for Peavy. This package gives them that and more, although I’m not sure the “more” enough to deal Adrian Gonzalez as well. (Hey, that’s why I said this is a 90-95% solution!) Let me know what you think.

Heh.

Talk about your famous last words.