MLB Trade Deadline: Pet Peavy

By Kevin Aherne (@KAherne17)

Jake Peavy just changed the color of his Sox

This is a very big week in the world of baseball.  Not only is this the non-waiver trade deadline; but we will also learn the names and details associated with the Biogenesis suspensions. While those may seem like two separate stories, they are very much intertwined.

This is the point in the season where each team determines whether they are buyers or sellers. The point where we see the teams who have dropped from contention looking to save a few bucks and reload their system with prospects. The point where the contenders throw away logic and over pay for that veteran they think will put them over the top.

This year, there is an added wrinkle to the process; the Biogenesis scandal.  The defunct anti-aging clinic's Tony Bosch opened up his records to baseball earlier this year, and the results of the ensuing investigation are looming. Major League Baseball has already informed the MLBPA of the upcoming suspensions that are coming as a result of player affiliations with the South Florida clinic.  The timing of these suspensions has altered a few teams' plans for the trade deadline.

Detroit was the first team to make such a move in response to the PED crackdown.  Knowing that they are likely to lose their All-Star infielder Jhonny Peralta, the Tigers got involved with a trade that was already in the works.

The Red Sox had interest in adding depth to their rotation in the form of 2007 Cy Young winner, Jake Peavy.  The White Sox were interested in moving the 32-year old pitcher's hefty contract, but wanted to make sure they got back the right prospect.

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Boston was unwilling to part with prospects Jackie Bradley, Jr. or Xander Boegarts, and Chicago didn't have the need for another light-hitting infielder like Jose Iglesias. So, in came Detroit.  The Tigers, in a bit of a panic, interjected and offered to facilitate the trade.  They had the right prospect to fit the White Sox' needs in outfielder Avisail Garcia.  The 22-year old Garcia, known by the nickname 'Mini-Miggy,' was ranked as the top power prospect in Detroit's system, and is thought to be Major League ready.

So, despite the desperation, each of the three teams gets better from this trade.  Boston get their middle-rotation arm (as well as a middle reliever in Brayan Villareal), Detroit gets the "Peralta Insurance Plan," and Chicago sheds salary for a few prospects.  However, as the deadline approaches and suspensions loom, more teams may act foolishly and desperately.  The Yankees and Rangers are both fighting for their playoff lives, and are also facing suspensions to key members of their lineups.  Who will be the next to pull the panic switch?