Jake Peavy said yes to the Chicago White Sox.
Highlighting a flurry of deals finished just before the trade deadline yesterday, Peavy was shipped out of San Diego. Sidelined with an injured ankle, he finally agreed to join the White Sox, who landed him with their second pitch of the season.
Locked in a crowded race for the AL Central title, Chicago sent four young pitchers to the Padres: Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter, and Adam Russell. The teams barely beat the 4 p.m. deadline to make deals without waivers.
“It came together very quickly, probably in the last 30-20 seconds,’’ White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said. “We were really concerned that it wasn’t going to happen.’’
In May, the Padres and White Sox agreed to a deal for Peavy, but the 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner turned it down. This time, he agreed to waive his no-trade clause and join the AL pennant race.
“He never said no, he just said, ‘Not yet,’ ’’ Williams said.
Peavy, 28, is 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA in 13 starts with the Padres this season but has been on the disabled list since June 13 with a strained tendon in his right ankle. Williams said the White Sox don’t expect Peavy to pitch until the end of this month.
Washburn joins All-Stars Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson on Detroit’s starting staff. His 2.64 ERA is third-best in the AL, and he ranks second in holding opponents to a .223 batting average.
“I’m excited to be joining a team that’s in first place and in a very good position,’’ Washburn said. “I figured if I was going to get traded, it would be to [a contender].’’
“He’s pitching as well as anyone in the league,’’ Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said. “He gives us another veteran in the rotation. He’s pitched in big games.’’
The Reds also sent righthanded reliever Josh Roenicke and a minor leaguer to the Blue Jays, who included cash to cover part of Rolen’s salary.
Batting .320 with eight homers and 43 RBIs, Rolen has one more year left on an eight-year, $90 million deal he signed with St. Louis.
“He will bring a lot to this ballclub that’s been lacking,’’ said Walt Jocketty, in his second season as Reds GM. “He brings leadership. He’s a veteran. I think he’ll add a lot to this club. And he’s still playing well. He’s a good RBI man and a Gold Glove at third base.’’
Cabrera, 34, a two-time Gold Glove winner, is hitting .373 with eight doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs in 110 at-bats this month, raising his season average to .280. He is a .326 career hitter at the Metrodome.
“We’ve played against him long enough to know that he can hit, he can steal bases, he can hit behind the runner, he can bunt, he can be a hit-and-run guy, he can do a lot of things,’’ Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
“We never really came close at all,’’ Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said shortly after the deadline passed. “We listened and we were never moved by a club that made us jump up and say, ‘Wow, this is something that will make us better in the future.’ ’’
Toronto could shop Halladay again in the offseason, hoping to get a better deal. His contract runs through 2010 and he would have to agree to a trade.
