After bouncing from coast to coast in less than a year, Jake Peavy has decided to stay put in the National League West Division, as the former Cy Young winner has reportedly agreed to a contract with the San Francisco Giants.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the news early Friday morning and has provided details of the contract (h/t Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com):
The market for Peavy took some time to develop, which wasn't unexpected given his age and how many starters were available this winter. It wasn't until the winter meetings that something started to happen, with Rosenthal reporting the Los Angeles Dodgers were showing interest:
Even though the Dodgers are operating with a new front office, the organization certainly knows how much better Peavy seems to pitch in the National League West. The 33-year-old right-hander was impressive last year after being traded to San Francisco, posting a 2.17 ERA in 78.2 innings.
This was an important decision for Peavy, who has spent 13 seasons in the big leagues without being a free agent. He told Crasnick in early December that he feels a burden of trying to prove doubters wrong based on how things ended for him in the World Series:
I have a lot to prove. If I went out and threw a shutout in Game 6 or pitched the way I did down the stretch, maybe it would have allowed me to relax too much this winter and not play this role I need to play. I need to have people doubting me, because that's when you dig deep and find out what you're made of.
I like it to a degree, because it spurs you on and kicks you in the butt. I've done that my whole life. I have no problem at 33 proving that I'm not a washed-up 40-year-old.
That's something to remember about this situation: Peavy is relatively young. He's reaching a point at which pitchers see declines in velocity and have to change their approaches, but there's potential for another solid season or two.
Crasnick also tweeted that Peavy has a higher-quality start percentage (six innings, three earned runs or fewer) than a few high-profile starters:
Peavy isn't going to be Jon Lester or Yu Darvish moving forward, but this isn't some washed-up pitcher merely holding on to past glory. He would be helped by playing with a strong defense behind him, as missing bats isn't a strength anymore.
Don't judge Peavy by what happened in the postseason, because small sample sizes can skew our opinions. Some people will tell you Clayton Kershaw isn't the best pitcher in baseball.
Peavy's resume and performance speak for themselves. He's a solid mid-rotation starter who can fill at least 180-200 innings for a team, which is a huge asset all 30 teams would love to have.
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