There is another team in the city he could play for. Why? So the Cubs could still blow games with this bullpen and no bench? The difference between Marshall and Peavy isn't worth the upgrades needed to improve the bullpen and bench (now regulars since they can't stay healthy). Even though the farm is improving, they don't have enough to improve every sector of the team. You don't trade for bench and bullpen guys in May. You don't give up important prospects for them either. Upgrading the bench/pen has nothing to do with a Peavy trade unless it's a matter of money. I crave Peavy more as a safeguard for injuries to Zambrano or Harden than as a replacement for Sean Marshall. If you can make the Peavy trade without giving up Marshall, you upgrade the pen and rotation all in one move. Not to mention that for upgrading you need prospects and the Peavy trade might diminish that. But I do agree that the money thing would be a bigger factor..and since we don't even know if there's room in the budget for Peavy this year, there almost certainly wouldn't be room for him and other upgrades. Here's the question for the Peavy supporters. If the Cubs were to get Peavy, are you satisfied with him as the entire 2009 offseason no matter what happens the rest of this year? The Cubs would lose Harden and Gregg after the season and likely have no free agent signings besides bench players. Personally, I'm not willing to pay a great deal for a guy who after this season would have a 4 year, 70 million dollar commitment. It's a fair deal that Peavy has, but the Cubs would be reticent to sign any free agent pitcher to that deal with the money they have tied up in Z, Dempster, and Lilly. When you add in that Peavy is not a free agent and that you'd also have to give up some good prospects to get him, it makes even less sense. And then you factor in that you're sitting down a good pitcher for the playoffs (one of Dempster/Lilly/Harden) and you're either taking a pretty good pitcher out of the rotation or trading him (Marshall). Essentially, the Cubs would be going for broke in 2009. 2010 and beyond would have worse versions of the ballclub every year with Peavy than without. That isn't really Peavy's fault, but he just doesn't fit with the players and contracts the Cubs have right now unless Ricketts really wants to take the team into Yankees territory on salaries. Yeah we'd be going for it this year (we have like a 2 year window right now) but between this upcoming offseason and next year we could potentially lose Gregg, Harden, Lee, Ramirez, Lilly, and Bradley. Harden and Gregg would be FA after this year Lee and Lilly are FA after 2010 and Bradley/Ramirez have either player/team options after 2010 so they might not be back. We would have plenty of room to add a guy or to if needed the next two offseasons.