With the White Sox’s season on the ropes, Jake Peavy did what any ultra-intense, fiercely competitive bulldog of an ace would do.
He told the media that he would want out if Kenny Williams started dealing away veterans for younger players.
Wait. What?
“I just want a chance to win,” Peavy said. “I believe it can happen here. I’m excited to be in the situation. Nothing’s changed just because we haven’t played well. I’m excited to be in a situation where you talk about it’s not going to be a rebuilding process. If that were the case, I would certainly try to be moved, but that’s the least of my worries.”
This is the second time Peavy has expressed zero desire to be part of a rebuilding effort. From May 17:
“At this point in my career, I certainly don’t want to be a part of any rebuilding process. I hope that would be understandable.”
It’s understandable to a certain extent. There’s just one small, teeny, tiny little problem, and in case Peavy happens to reading:
Jake, you’re the reason this team sucks.
That’s only a mild exaggeration. Everybody knew this team would be struggling to put up runs, and that if there were any hope of competing, it would rest on the shoulders of Peavy and the rest of the starters. Three-fifths of the rotation have faltered, but Peavy’s been the biggest disappointment by far. He needed seven innings of one-run ball against the injury-ravaged Indians to drop his ERA below 6.00, and it’s still the third-worst in the American League.
He’s not the only reason the Sox aren’t even within spitting distance of .500, but when it comes to the players, it’s his mess. Carlos Quentin, Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd may also have huge shares of the culpability, but Peavy is making more than any of them. And he was certainly talking the biggest game.
