If the Padres fall out of playoff contention early, Jake Peavy could be traded before or shortly after the All-Star break, perhaps to the Dodgers, the San Diego Union Tribune reported.


According to the paper, people close to Peavy say the homegrown ace expects he will be dealt for financial reasons, if he stays healthy and the team leaves the race.

"I'm hoping that it's a non-issue," General Manager Kevin Towers, who shopped Peavy for three months last offseason, told the newspaper. "My hope is that we're contending and playing well in June and July and we need him to get us where we want to go, and that's back to postseason play."


Peavy, a homegrown ace who won the Cy Young Award in 2007, is guaranteed $11 million this season and $63 million total over the next four years.

Padres Chairman John Moores mandated a player payroll of $40 million for this season, Towers has said, which means Peavy's salary is nearly 30 percent of the payroll.