In thinking back on our season, one of the biggest things that came to mind, of course, was the Jake Peavy trade. Jake was shopped heavily during the postseason last year, but deals with the Braves and Cubs fell through. After the Winter Meetings, things really quieted down. Jake started on Opening Day for the San Diego Padres against the Dodgers.

In late May, while the Padres were in the middle of a 10-game winning streak, the word leaked out that the Padres and White Sox were in agreement for a trade that would sent Jake to Chicago. All that was needed was Jake’s consent. After a long, stressing day, Jake finally excersised his no-trade clause. “Right now, this is the best place for me and my family,” Peavy said.

Not long after, Jake hurt his calf while running the bases. He made one or two more starts, but the calf kept bothering him. The Padres shut him down, putting him on the DL. With that, the trade talks calmed down considerably. In fact, there was even talk that he would most likely stay with the Padres.

With mere minutes before the trade deadline, I think Padres fans were starting to breathe a little easier. We relaxed too soon. 23 seconds before the trade deadline, Jake Peavy was sent to the White Sox for four pitchers.

I won’t even try to convey my devastation when I heard the news. It was absolutely terrible. All of you who have lost a beloved player know how it feels. I felt like a close family member had moved far, far away, and I would never be able to see them again. It was simply terrible.

Though our pain was great, we were quickly soothed by the immediate impact of the pitchers we got in return. I would like to talk about each of these pitchers and their performance since coming over to the Padres.

1. Clayton Richard.

Clayton started the day after he was traded to the Padres. Instant comfort for the fans, huh? And what about the dude? He must have been pretty discombobulated, but he did a great job. He threw 5.2 innings, allowing two hits and one run against the Brewers.

Clayton made 12 starts for us in the past few months. Without a doubt, his best start was his last one, on September 30th. He threw seven innings of one-hit shutout ball. It was a great way to end out his season. His record with us was 6-2. I was overall very impressed by this young pitcher, and I think he’s definitely got a chance for the rotation next year. Well done, Clayton.

2. Adam Russell.

Adam pitched his first game for the Padres on August 26th. He pitched in 15 games for us with a 3.65 ERA. I thought he did a very good job. He will definitely get a good look in Spring Training for a spot in the rotation.

3. Aaron Poreda.

Aaron only pitched in four games for us this year, 2.1 innings, so there’s not much to see there. Seems like he did walk a bunch of guys, but that’s OK. I think this guy could be a fixture in the bullpen. We’ll have to see, but I think he’s going to be good.

The fourth pitcher in the deal, Dexter Carter, did not pitch for the big club this year. I’d say that guy I’m most excited about is Clayton. He looks so good, it’s really cool.

So far, this deal looks pretty even. Both sides got great pieces. I just really hope these guys don’t fizzle out.

Well, that playoff game last night was crazy stressing! Game 163’s have a tendancy to be like that.

GO RED SOX!!