A lot has changed since May.
Jake Peavy has finally agreed to pitch for the Chicago White Sox.
The San Diego Padres traded their ace to the White Sox on Friday shortly before the deadline for making deals without waivers.
Peavy, who was taking a nap with his son when word came through of the trade, talked about how everyone knew this day was coming.
“I’ve told people all along. When it becomes the case of a team really pursuing you and showing interest in you,” Peavy said at a Friday news conference. “You want to play and you want to be somewhere where you’re wanted.”
Peavy explained that the Padres management kept telling him that they needed to move him.
There are a lot of mixed emotions. He said he holds no ill will toward the Padre organization, and was honored to be a part of the team for eight years.
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Saying goodbye to his Padres teammates will be difficult. “I’m sure I’ll shed a few tears with the boys in the locker room,” he said. “This is all I’ve known since I was a 17-year old kid.”
But, he said, this day was inevitable and he’s excited for the move. “Once I get on that plane to Chicago, I won’t look back,” he said.
The Padres got four young pitchers for Peavy -- Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter and Adam Russell.
In May, Padres and White Sox agreed to a deal for Peavy, but the 2007 NL Cy Young winner turned it down. But this time, Peavy agreed to waive his no-trade clause and joined the AL Central contenders.
