The San Francisco Giants made a move today that seemed rather unexpected, considering that starting pitching has not been a high priority before the deadline. However, with the recent injury to Matt Cain, and with the lack of an MLB-ready starter, the Giants needed to make some sort of move for the time being.
Rumors had the Giants in the thick of the race for Tampa Bay Ray's David Price, however, they might have had to give up more than they bargained for. With Jake Peavy, the Giants had to give up two arms in return, but they might not be as missed as top prospect Kyle Crick.
Reliever Heath Hembree and starter Edwin Escobar were dealt in return for Peavy. Both pitchers have not exactly had stellar 2014 seasons in Triple-A Fresno. Hembree, though, would have been the more major league ready pitcher out of the two.
This deal does not cost the Giants a lot of money and it helps put their long reliever Yusmeiro Petit back into his original role, where he has seemed to thrive. With Peavy's last start coming on July 22nd, he will be available to pitch the Sunday night game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team Peavy has put up great career numbers against.
There is no sure date on the return of Cain, so Peavy will be the 5th starter for the foreseeable future. Cain has gone 2-7 this season with a 4.18 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, whereas Peavy has gone 1-9 this season 4.72 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.