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BRAVES NEWS
Braves Are Among 3 Teams Interested In Jake Peavy
The Braves' next free agent target has been identified, and what do you know, it's Jake Peavy! Now, it's time to visit the wayback machine because 6 years ago, the Braves probably could've had Peavy if they traded then-hot prospect Tommy Hanson. How do I remember this? Because 6 years ago, this blog that I read on a daily basis was pretty concerned about the potential trade. To the DeLorean!
The youth movement of this team begins again this year with Tommy Hanson and Jordan Schafer. After them the prospective waves of talent should come with regularity. I'm not diluted into thinking we should keep every prosepct, quite oppositely I think many of these guys on the farm are in the perfect position to be used as trade bait, but not Schafer and Hanson. Tommy has given every indication over the past two years that he is on a road to the show, and not just as an average player, but as a star. He's different from many of the pitchers who have come up through our system the last few years (James, Davies, Reyes, Morton, Parr). Hanson has that bulldog mentality of an ace and the stuff to go with it.
Now fast forward to 2014, Peavy is now 33 and can be had on the free agent market and the Braves are interested, while Tommy Hanson is currently without a big league gig. Life comes at you fast.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Sources: Free-agent RHP Jake Peavy drawing interest from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marlins?src=hash">#Marlins</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Braves?src=hash">#Braves</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SFGiants?src=hash">#SFGiants</a>. Option for Miami only if Haren retires or is traded.</p>— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/545356140582666240">December 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Braves Pick Up Aaron Kurcz For Anthony Varvaro
Yesterday evening, Anthony Varvaro's departure was finalized via trade, and he'll now be pitching for the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league prospect Aaron Kurcz. For a closer look at Kurcz, here's his page over at SoxProspects.com, which probably won't be updated any time soon now.
Markakis Has Successful Neck Surgery
Good news yesterday: Nick Markakis had that neck surgery, and it went off without a hitch. Now, in order to make a full recovery in time for spring training, Markakis will have to make sure there aren't any setbacks over the next 8 weeks. But other than that, it's time to hope that the surgery nips this issue in the bud and all we have to worry about is Markakis' production in 2014.
MLB NEWS
Rays Trade Wil Myers To San Diego
A big 3-team trade went down yesterday between the Rays, Nationals, and Padres, with San Diego picking up the crown jewel of the deal: OF Wil Myers. Although Myers had a rough season in 2014 with the Rays, his potential ceiling as an outfielder is still high enough to where this is a pretty exciting deal for San Diego. Or at least more exciting than the other trade drama that's going on in San Diego.
Did Matt Kemp Fail His Physical?
This was supposed to have been a done deal a while back, but not so fast. Yesterday, the big rumor on the baseball twittersphere was that Matt Kemp's trade to the Padres was in severe jeopardy due to the fact that he may have failed a physical. However, you can see in the post that the issue may just be final details that are being hammered out instead of a failed physical. However, you can bet that there are going to be some anxious Padres fans who are waiting to see if this deal will actually go down.