According to Buster Olney on ESPN News, the Sox approached Peavy about the deal less than one hour before the 4 pm deadline.

Peavy approved the deal, reports MLB.com.

Peavy has been on the disabled list since June 9 with a strained tendon in his right ankle, he is not expected back before late August.

Update, 4:41 pm:

The MLB Network reports the Padres will get prospects Clayton Richard, Adam Russell, Aaron Poreda and Dexter Carter.

Earlier this season, Peavy’s agent told SI.com his client would only accept a deal to a team in ‘Middle America.’

Meanwhile, the Mets are 6–3 in Livan Hernandez’s nine starts this season, though five of the six wins were against the Braves, Pirates, Nationals, Marlins and Brewers.

Eventually, the Mets will promote Oliver Perez, who will re-join John Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana, meaning one of Redding or Hernandez will get bumped from the rotation.

I would think Redding will slot in to the long-relief, spot-starter role, while Hernandez is allowed more time to pitch.

Nevertheless, from what I can gather, the Mets continue to keep an eye around baseball for an ‘experienced, reliable, consistent starting pitcher,’ to be counted on, every five days, for the back of their rotation.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, during the last few weeks, pitchers like Javier Vazquez, Jonathan Sanchez, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, Jon Garland, Roy Oswalt, Jason Marquis, Jake Peavy and Brad Penny could all be available, while Pedro Martinez remains unsigned as a free agent.

Sanchez, Peavy, Bedard and Oswalt will require a lot in return; Penny is too much of an injury risk, despite pitching well for the Red Sox; and Garland is having a poor season with the D’Backs.

The two guys from this list, who fit ‘experienced, reliable, consistent, back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher,’ would be Washburn and Marquis, both of whom are free agents at the end of this season, as well as Vazquez, who is under contract through 2010.

I’m not sure the Braves would ever deal a player under contract, in the middle of a pennant race, to the Mets, leaving Washburn and Marquis as players to watch as we get closer to the July 31 trade deadline.

If you remember, according to published reports, the Mets rejected a deal from the Cubs during the Winter Meetings that would have swapped Marquis for Aaron Heilman, who was instead traded to the Mariners for J.J. Putz.

Marquis was eventually traded to the Rockies, who are 13.5 games out of first place today and nine games under .500.

According to Zolecki, while Axelrod believes the Phillies fit many of Peavy’s requirements, Philadelphia’s geographic location would most likely be a difference maker in Peavy’s decision.

…while the Phillies are in desperate need of starting pitching, from what i can gather, the likelihood of the Phillies trading for a high-priced pitcher is unlikely as the team has nearly exhausted their budget for this season…

Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports the Yankees have had internal discussions about trading for Indians utility-man Mark De Rosa.

Meanwhile, at his blog for Newsday, Ken Davidoff reports the Nationals are willing to trade veterans such as Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and Austin Kearns for impact players that will improve the team in the present and future.

Gordon Edes of Yahoo says the Nationals have been actively scouting several Mets prospects, such as Jon Niese, Mike Antonini and Eddie Kunz, to find fit for a possible trade for Johnson.

Edes believes Bobby Parnell may be the ‘linchpin’ in any Mets deal for Johnson.

Peavy has full no-trade protection.

“San Diego is the place for us,” Peavy told reporters yesterday.  “We’ve made that decision, for the time being,” suggesting he could be open to accepting a deal to a different location.

According to SI.com, Peavy specifically told his agent he will only accept a deal to a team in ‘Middle America,’ and in the National League, as ESPN.com added.

…i have been sent all sorts of mock trade proposals from Mets fans, in an effort to get peavy, ranging from deals including Ryan Church to Mike Pelfrey to Fernando Martinez to Robert Parnell… but, what most people are missing is that a) he is not likely to accept a deal to New York City, or i bet it would have happened by now, and b) i don’t think the Wilpons will let Omar Minaya move Citi Field 500 miles to the west, all for the sake of acquiring one starting pitcher…

In the off-season, the Padres were close to working out two separate deals with the Cubs and Braves for Peavy, but both deals were never finalized, according to previous reports.

According to ESPN, the agent for Jake Peavy expressed doubt Thursday that his client is ready to sign off on a proposed trade to the White Sox because he prefers to stay in the National League.

Peavy’s agent told ESPN there are three or four teams he is willing to pitch for, while telling SI.com he would only accept a deal to a team in ‘Middle America.’

…so, i’m thinking, the Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs…

Original Post, 10:42 am:

“The White Sox have reached agreement with the Padres on a trade for Jake Peavy but are awaiting Peavy’s approval,” Jon Heyman reports on SI.com.

Peavy is 3–5 with a 3.82 ERA this season for the Padres, and specifically told his agent he would only accept a deal to a team in ‘Middle America,’ i.e., not New York City.

…my initial reaction is always, ‘Why didn’t Omar Minaya make this deal?’… then i remember New York City is on the East Coast, it is not Middle America, as the last Presidential Campaign was sure to remind me every five minutes… this is not to say minaya is the wizard of all GMs, but it is unrealistic to expect him to literally move mountains and maps to accommodate a pitcher…

…i have been writing and saying this since the end of March, which is the Mets are most certainly going to end up looking for a starting pitcher around the trade deadline, so start drawing up those mock trade-proposals now…

…the early buzz suggests the Padres could look to trade Jake Peavy, the Rangers could do the same with Kevin Millwood, the Jays could finally listen to offers for Roy Halladay, and the Astros may start a deal for Roy Oswalt… not to mention, Pedro Martinez will likely still be a free agent, with, at that point, his asking price cut in half…

…to get halladay, oswalt or peavy, i have to think the deal will need to include at least one of Fernando Martinez or Jon Niese, if not both…

However, the Yankees are still open to negotiating with Pettitte, according to FoxSports.com and the Daily News.

Actually, Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Yankees are more likely to lower their $10 million offer than they are to raise it.

In a report about Mark Teixeira for the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch slips in the following about Pettitte:

“If Pettitte’s career in the Bronx is really over, Flushing would be the logical place for him to land… But the Mets’ hierarchy undoubtedly senses Pettitte and the Yankees are playing a garden-variety game of chicken.  If Omar Minaya were to call Pettitte’s agents today, the result would be to give the left-hander the leverage to extract an extra $2 million out of the Yankees… Which is why the Mets aren’t about to pick up the phone - even though the thought has indeed crossed their minds.”

Pettitte in Queens would be painful to the Yankees, and so I can see why such a move might be enticing – for both the player and the Mets, not too mention he’d fit in nicely with, say, Johan Santana, Derek Lowe, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey.  However, like Klapisch says, it seems to me that Pettitte and the Yankees will eventually work it out – they’re just going through a rough patch right now.

In mid-December, Jon Heyman of SI.com said Pettitte had a three-year offer on the table from an ‘unnamed team,’ though Heyman has not mentioned the offer since that initial report.

Speaking of starting pitchers…

The Cubs may soon re-open talks with the Padres about RHP Jake Peavy, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

CC Sabathia

Speaking of starting pitchers…

The major road block keeping Jake Peavy from being sent to Chicago is the Cubs inability to trade RHP Jason Marquis to a third team, along with the $10 million due to him in 2009, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Remember, on Sunday in the Star-Ledger, Dan Graziano said the Mets declined to trade Marquis for Aaron Heilman, ‘because they were trying to use Heilman in other deals.’

Meanwhile, the Cubs have discussed trading infielder Mark De Rosa to the Twins, reports the Star Tribune, most likely in an effort to cut payroll, again for Peavy.

Also, the Phillies are involved in talks with the Cubs and Padres, writes the Philadelphia Daily News, with Kyle Kendrick’s name being linked to San Diego.

Yesterday, ESPN’s Peter Gammons said talks between the Braves and Burnett are progressing well.

However, according to Jon Heyman at SI.com, ‘The Yankees are prepared to top Atlanta’s reported $60 million, four-year offer to Burnett.’

Meanwhile, according to Olney, only the Yankees and Brewers have made an offer to CC Sabathia, i.e., the Dodgers, Giants and Angels have not.

Also, Olney believes Padres GM Kevin Towers is bluffing when he says San Diego will keep Jake Peavy for Opening Day if he’s unable to trade him before the end of this week’s Winter Meetings.

Nevertheless, the Cubs need young starting pitchers from a third team to help acquire Peavy from the Padres, says Olney.

According to Ken Rosenthal, of FoxSports.com, the Phillies are working with the Cubs and Padres as the third team.

By the way, again, ESPN 2 will air a Baseball Tonight Winter Meetings Special today at 5 pm.

“The Padres like some of the Phillies young minor-league pitchers,” Rosenthal explains, citing major-league sources, “but the talks are only in the preliminary stages.”

Rosenthal believes the Cubs tried to push Jason Marquis to Philadelphia, ‘but received only lukewarm interest.’

Speaking of starting pitchers…

Rosenthal also reports the Red Sox were simply doing their ‘due diligence,’ when they met today with CC Sabathia.

Lastly, Ben Sheets met with the Yankees and Rangers today, acclording to T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com.