SAN DIEGO -- If you were to stand baseball's 2007 Cy Young Award winners side by side, their physical differences would prove astounding.

Compared with Carsten Charles Sabathia II, Jake Peavy is a mere mortal. At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, the Padres' ace is 6 inches shorter and 70 pounds lighter than the man to whom the New York Yankees doled out a record $161 million contract for a pitcher last week.

Aside from their physical attributes, however, Sabathia and Peavy have a handful of similarities, including each being made available this offseason. Consider that both debuted before they turned 22, both have averaged 30-plus starts for at least the last six seasons, and after achieving success early in their careers, both joined baseball's pitching elite in 2007.

But that's where the similarities stop, especially when comparing the two pitchers' paths this offseason. Whereas teams lined up at the cash machine to offer Sabathia big money -- he settled on $23 million per season through 2015 -- the Padres are finding it difficult to trade Peavy even though, at maximum, he earns $6.8 million less per season.

"It's a different scenario," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "(With Sabathia) it's strictly cash. Peavy also costs prospects and players. It depends on how ballclubs value the players they're giving up. Young, controllable players are very valuable.

"In C.C.'s situation, you had a club that has the financial wherewithal to go out and spend, and they're only giving up a draft pick. They had to give up one pick versus five or six players for Peavy."

It's not that Peavy didn't garner attention. Towers said the right-hander had a bevy of suitors before the Padres discontinued shopping him on Monday, with as many as 17 teams contacting them. And between five and 10 of those clubs, Towers said, were offering the kind of package the Padres sought.

What it boils down to is the X factor -- Peavy's no-trade clause. It's baseball's version of a get-out-of-jail free card, and it limited the teams with which the Padres could seriously engage in talks. It also affected how they approached the situation, as they acknowledged that even Peavy's bottom-line-friendly contract is unaffordable and they had to explore what trade offers were available.

But with only a handful of teams on the pitcher's short list, and those teams knowing the Padres' bargaining position, Towers said he found his hands tied.

"It limited who we could talk to," Towers said. "With (limitless teams) to talk to, you have some leverage which we didn't with only a handful of teams available to trade with."

Said CEO Sandy Alderson: "The reason this deal was so public was because of his no-trade clause, which has complicated matters."

The Padres' steep asking price also factored in. It's known that Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Colletti shied away when Towers requested a top pitching prospect and other highly regarded minor leaguers. The Atlanta Braves were offering 26-year-old shortstop Yunel Escobar but were also leery of giving up too much of its farm system.

And though the Chicago Cubs were willing to part with top prospect Josh Vitters, GM Jim Hendry decided against including pitcher Sean Marshall in a large deal because he's an affordable backup if any of the club's starters gets injured.

"I've said all along this is a tough trade to make," said Peavy's agent, Barry Axelrod. "You've got a young Cy Young winner and a team that has to trade him. And you had to find a team that had the financial wherewithal and had to have a strong farm system with four to five prospects."

Unlike five seasons ago, prospects now have inherent value to teams both rich and poor. Whereas clubs like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox used to peddle their prospects to bring in another big-ticket player, they're now hanging on to their rising stars to be more cost effective.

And the practice is only furthered when a team like the 2007 Boston Red Sox -- featuring rookies Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester in vital roles -- wins the World Series in four games.

"Even though they're not established and some are still prospects, controllable players are very heavily valued," Towers said. "You're seeing less and less clubs move their controllable-type players … They're seeing they can win with those types of players."

The Padres also remember the critical role Peavy played in the division-title-winning seasons of 2005-06, and the near miss in 2007. Though they know it will be difficult to operate with his salary eating up more than a quarter of their projected $40 million payroll, they're glad to have his services at an affordable price -- which wouldn't have been possible had Peavy joined Sabathia on the free-agent market this offseason.

"I imagine Jake would have been sought after heavily," Towers said. "I'm glad we control him. I don't think we could have retained Jake with the way the market is."

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