Rosenthal: Marlins Are Talking To Jake Peavy

The Marlins are continuing to look to improve the team, as MB on Fox reporter Ken Rosenthal has reported that the Marlins have been in touch with Jake Peavy in the case that newly acquired pitcher Dan Haren retires.

Like recent free agent signing Michael Morse, Peavy is fresh off a World Series Victory with the Giants. While it feels like Peavy has been in baseball since the 80s, he is only 33. Peavy won the NL Cy Young with the San Diego Padres back in 2007. Since then, he has had stops with the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and most recently with the Giants.

Like many other pitchers in their 30s, Peavy’s best days are behind him. In fact, Peavy only has two 200 inning pitch seasons since that Cy Young season. Fortunately, 2014 was one of them. He had a combined 3.73 ERA and exactly a 100 ERA+. The beginning of the 2014 season looked rough for Peavy, as he went 1-9 in 20 starts for the Red Sox. He really turned it around after moving to the Giants, owning a 2.17 ERA and 161 ERA+ in 12 starts for the team.

He looked like a completely different pitcher in San Francisco. Aside from the ERA drop, his WHIP dropped from 1.427 to 1.042. His home run rate per nine innings also dropped from 1.5 to 0.3, and his walk rate dropped from 3.3 to 1.9. In short, he looked like a young Jake Peavy.

The Marlins are not the only team looking at Peavy. The Braves and the Giants are also interested. The Marlins need to wait until Dan Haren decides his future before being able to commit to Peavy. This obviously hurts Miami’s chances, as Peavy could sign at any time with any team. The Braves are busy selling off their team, so Miami needs to make sure the Braves don’t get Peavy.

If Haren retires, the Marlins have $10 million of free money. Giving it to a veteran pitcher like Peavy could really help the team. A front four of Jose Fernandez (when he comes back), Mat Latos, Henderson Alvarez, and Peavy would give the Fish one of the best top four in baseball. Until Haren decides his fate, the Marlins hang in the balance.

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