Talking Chop

The Braves may be encountering some stiff competition from the Chicago Cubs for the hottest pitcher on the trade market, Jake Peavy. According to Ken Rosenthal:

The Cubs have emerged as a front-runner in the Peavy sweepstakes, perhaps even ahead of the Braves, according to major-league sources.

The Cubbies seem to want everything, as they're trying to resign their own free agent Ryan Dempster (a player the Braves may also have an interest in signing), while pursuing an available player like Peavy. Perhaps just as interesting as the Cubs emerging as a possible front-runner, is the way the Padres initially negotiated with the Braves (in an apparent vacuum):

The Padres initially granted the Braves an informal window of exclusivity in the Peavy discussions, but the teams have been unable to reach an agreement on players.

I would guess that exclusivity was granted because the Padres felt they matched up the best with the Braves and coveted some of our players, namely Yunel Escobar and Tommy Hanson.

For the Braves part, every indication is that they are still right up there with the Cubs, so while Rosenthal calls them the front-runners, all that could change if the Braves cede to one of the Padres demands. There are no trades expected anytime soon as Braves GM Frank Wren heads to Arizona to get a first-hand look at Tommy Hanson and the other Braves prospects. Certainly these GM meetings have laid the groundwork for a lot of possible moves for the Braves. We'll just have to keep hanging on to see which ones acutally evolve into trades.