Cardinals trade rumors: St. Louis making push to acquire Red Sox' Jake Peavy

It appears that the next chip to fall in the trade market may be Red Sox' starter Jake Peavy. According to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, a trade that would send the right-hander to the Cardinals "could happen quick", meaning that St. Louis is being aggressive in their pursuit of him. Despite this, there is "no sign" that a Peavy-to-Cardinals deal is imminent, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

As Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston reported yesterday, the Cardinals scouted Peavy's start in Boston on Sunday and are trying to acquire him for the second straight summer. St. Louis made a strong push to acquire him last July before the White Sox traded him to Boston in a three-team blockbuster that sent Avisail Garcia to the White Sox and Jose Iglesias to the Tigers.

The Cardinals have been looking for rotation upgrades in response to injuries to Jaime Garcia and Michael Wacha, and Peavy would seem to fit the bill perfectly. The 33-year old has struggled to a 1-7 record and 4.64 ERA so far this season, but could improve with a move back to the National League. He is a free agent after the season.

As Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported this morning, the Red Sox have expressed interest in the Cardinals' young outfielders in recent months. While Oscar Taveras is almost definitely off the table in talks about a potential Peavy deal, names like Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk could be made available if the sides were to expand the deal. Rosenthal mentions Allen Craig as a good fit for the Red Sox, so a one-for-one Peavy-for-Craig swap could work for both sides.

As it stands right now, the sides seem to be making progress on a deal. Check back in with us for updates throughout the day.