UPDATE 4:48 PM: The White Sox seem to be coming down on their price for Peavy, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. The Athletics, Cardinals, Red Sox and Diamondbacks remain in play.
ORIGINAL: Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy was originally scheduled to pitch on Tuesday night in Cleveland, but the Indians announced that the trade candidate has been scratched from his start and instead will be slated to start on Wednesday night. With rumors swirling that a deal involving Peavy could be close to coming together, the scratch could indicate that a deal involving the right-hander is imminent.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have emerged as the favorite in the Peavy sweepstakes, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.
Because the White Sox are known to be looking for solid pitching prospects in return for Peavy, top prospects like Tyler Skaggs, Archie Bradley Jr., and Zeke Spruill could be in play if the teams are discussing a deal.
The Cardinals and White Sox are not currently engaged in trade talks, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, so the chances of Peavy heading to St. Louis have decreased a bit. A source indicated over the weekend that Cardinals prospects Kolten Wong, Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez have been discussed between the teams.
The Red Sox and Orioles are reportedly still involved in discussions for Peavy, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Athletics, who were an early favorite, still view Peavy as a slight possibility due to Bartolo Colon's pending suspension.
The Pirates, who have not been linked to Peavy very much all summer, may jump in to try to make a deal for him. John Perrotto of USA Today reports that the sides have at least discussed a potential deal that would send Peavy and teammate Alexei Ramirez to Pittsburgh in exchange for top prospects Jameson Taillon, Alex Dickerson and more. Pittsburgh is also known to have interest in Alex Rios, so the teams are definitely talking.
After publicly saying that they are looking to hold on to Peavy, the White Sox are now seeming to be more aggressive in their attempt to trade him. With that urgency, expect the South Siders to lower the price a bit and get a reasonable package for Peavy within the next 24 hours.
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