PADRES: Peavy might consider options

Star pitcher hopes team brings back Hoffman and Giles

By DAN HAYES - Staff Writer | Saturday, September 27, 2008 10:47 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- Count Jake Peavy a serious believer that the Padres must retain Trevor Hoffman and Brian Giles in 2009.

After signing a fair-but-discounted $52-million contract extension last fall that keeps him in town until at least 2012, Peavy wants to know that the organization is committed to winning a World Series.

In other words, going with an economical youth movement in 2009 and drastically slashing the payroll in favor of bringing back key veterans isn't what he has in mind. The reigning 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner wants to win ---- now.

And he admits that a rebuilding project might have him doubting his choice in sticking with the Padres.

On Saturday the Padres avoided the dreaded 100-loss mark with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in front of 29,825 at Petco Park.

"I want to be here, but I want to be here with a chance to win a World Series," Peavy said. "If someone says, 'Hey, we're going to rebuild, that's not going to be our top priority' you certainly would wonder what your other options are."

At this point a trade is the farthest thing from Peavy's mind. He thinks the 2008 Padres aren't all that different from last year's brand with the exception of missing several key veterans. And if the Padres can make a few good additions to mix in with the youngsters they've been showcasing, Peavy believes the club could be back in contention.

"I want a chance to be a world champion," Peavy said. "And you can do that with young guys. Look at Boston. Those teams have some young, talented players that aren't making tons of money. But they also have some key guys in place that do make a little bit of money. I'm not sitting here saying we have to break the bank or have a payroll like L.A. or like Boston or New York, but we have to make some kind of effort."

That's where Hoffman and Giles come into play. Hoffman ---- who has converted 30 of 34 saves and ---- is in the final year of a three-year, $21 million contract. And though he turns 41 on Oct. 13, Hoffman's stuff has stayed steady as evidenced by 46 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings and only nine walks.

Then there's Giles, who had a .398 on-base percentage entering play on Saturday. The veteran, a leader by example in the clubhouse, has a $9-million team option, or his contract can be bought out for $3 million. After walking in the first inning on Saturday and scoring on Adrian Gonzalez's double, Giles has reached base safely in 33 of his last 34 games.

"I think if we're looking at being the best team we can possibly be there's no way Brian Giles and Trevor Hoffman can be out of that picture," Peavy said.

"You can't honestly look a fan in the eye and say, 'We making an effort to (win)' if you let Trevor Hoffman and Brian Giles walk. It's going to be hard for the team to convince their fans they want to win if those two guys walk. That being said, I don't think that's going to happen. You have those guys back."

As certain as he is about the future of his veteran teammates, Peavy isn't assured where the Padres are headed. One year ago he was dreaming of playing in the World Series, coming up one victory shy of the postseason. This year, however, with a combination of injuries, underachieving individuals and poor personnel decisions, the Padres threatened to be only the sixth team in club history to lose 100 games.

"The biggest thing I think we want to see, is what direction is this team going to go," Peavy said. "I'm concerned as anybody. This is the team I chose to be part of. I chose to stay here. This is all I've really known. I want to win here. I want to win in this city. This is where I want to be and where I want it to happen. ... I'm tired of the word competitive being used around the San Diego Padres. We want to win. We don't want a competitive September. We want to win in October."  

Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at dhayes@nctimes.com.