Hahn breaks down process behind Peavy deal
White Sox GM talks details of three-team trade that netted Garcia from Tigers
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | 10/16/2013 1:49 P.M. ETCHICAGO -- In regard to the July 30 trade involving Jake Peavy, the Tigers and the Red Sox, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn has an ideal theory as to how that complicated maneuver eventually plays out.
"Hopefully five years from now, we look back and say there are plenty of rings to go around," Hahn said.
Hahn might be stretching the truth with that statement.
Clearly, he would like to have five White Sox World Series titles five years from now. But the underlying intention of his statement was illustrating a move that worked well for all sides involved.
During a recent interview with MLB.com, Hahn spoke of the process to execute a deal that sent the right-hander to Boston, shortstop Jose Iglesias to the Tigers and outfielder Avisail Garcia, along with three Minor Leaguers, to the White Sox. Hahn provided insight into the intricacies needed in making the first major step of the White Sox reshaping process a reality.
The preludePeavy allowed six runs on seven hits over 2 1/3 innings during a start at Safeco Field on June 4 and clearly didn't have close to his best stuff. That start followed a four-inning loss at Wrigley Field on May 30, where Peavy yielded a grand slam to opposing pitcher Travis Wood. A major part of the reason for Peavy's struggles was a fractured rib on his left side that kept him out of big league action until July 20.
During that extended absence, it became clear the 2013 White Sox would be sellers. A handful of clubs contacted the White Sox even before Peavy began throwing off the mound, just checking in, expressing interest and wanting to get a sense of timing.
Medical records were shared fairly early on with a handful of teams that were a little more aggressive and seemed to be a little more interested, as well as possessing a possible fit from the White Sox side, according to Hahn.
"We probably heard from about eight to 10 teams with interest, and from the medical standpoint, we got down to about three," Hahn said. "We knew he was only going to have a couple of starts before the deadline. So we wanted to try to get teams to understand the nature of the freak injury and why it wasn't arm related so they could put it behind them and judge what they saw with their eyes.
"By the time he made his first start," Hahn continued, "every team that was interested was basically in the same spot in saying, 'We have interest in the guy, but we are a little bit in a wait-and-see mode.'"
His return came via a strong six-inning effort against the Braves, followed up by a seven-inning victory against Detroit at home on July 25. To Hahn's surprise, the White Sox heard from a couple of teams for the first time about Peavy after that second start.
"They were at a little bit of a disadvantage in terms of other teams had put in the leg work and were a little more aggressive," Hahn said.
read more: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/cws/white-sox-general-manager-rick-hahn-breaks-down-process-behind-peavy-deal?ymd=20131016&content_id=63021398&vkey=news_cws