Sox' gain is another loss for Cubs

About a month ago, I sat with White Sox GM Ken Williams in his team's dugout and discussed his effort, earlier in the season, to get Jake Peavy.

I told him he was closer to getting Peavy than he ever knew, despite Peavy's decision at the time to stay in the National League.

Williams said that he still "loved'' Peavy and that I shouldn't be shocked if he tried again this year.

Williams went on to say he didn't care that Peavy was down with a bad ankle, and that if he could get him, he would be willing to live with whatever injury problems Peavy has this year, knowing what he also gets for the future.

"I love aces,'' Williams said. "Can't have enough of them, and can't win it all without them.''

Well, now he's got another one, and we shouldn't be shocked.

As for how much Peavy can pitch this year, and how effective he'll be, it remains to be seen.

As for what the Sox get for the future, there is no debate, because Peavy is one of the best in the business.

Even if he gives them nothing this year, Peavy is the anchor of the rotation for years to come.

White Sox fans ought to send a thank-you note to Sam Zell, who continues to hold the Cubs hostage and is the reason the Cubs could never complete the Peavy deal.

The Cubs were in on Peavy as far back as Thanksgiving, and the Cubs were his No. 1 choice all along. The reason he wouldn't OK the Sox deal a couple months ago was simply because he was waiting for the Cubs.

GM Jim Hendry never gave up on the chance to get him, continuing to talk to the Padres, and hoping they'd get another shot.

What the Cubs could never get was the approval to add payroll and one of the best starters in all of baseball, and Peavy finally gave up on the North Siders on Friday.

Instead, he goes to the South Side in a deal that fans may have to view as one that hurts short term and helps long term.

Nevertheless, it's another huge day for Williams, and another disappointing day for the Cubs, who have had their share since the team was put up for sale a couple years ago.

They simply had nowhere to go to get approval on any serious deals that involved adding payroll this year or next.

That's beyond pathetic. It's an absolute outrage that the team is stuck in limbo while the rest of the NL contenders made big deals.

The Cardinals have been adding pieces for weeks, getting Matt Holliday, Julio Lugo and Mark DeRosa.

The Dodgers acquired an all-star closer in George Sherrill, and the Giants, a team the Cubs might need to beat for the wild card, improved their offense with Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Garko.

The Rockies, another wild-card foe, picked up reliever Rafael Betancourt, and even the Brewers got second baseman Felipe Lopez.

The Phillies made the biggest and best deal in the bigs by giving up little to get top-notch starter Cliff Lee, making them a threat to repeat as World Series champs.

The Cubs, meanwhile, did well to get the two lefties from Pittsburgh without giving up much in return, but with Peavy leaving San Diego, Victor Martinez departing Cleveland, and infielders moving all around the game, the Cubs did not help themselves nearly as much as they could have if they had an owner paying attention.

As for the White Sox, you have to wonder if the four pitchers they gave up for Peavy would have netted them Roy Halladay, who is a proven AL pitcher and healthy to boot.

You can't blame the Sox for wanting to keep Gordon Beckham, but it's possible Alexei Ramirez could have made it work, and the Sox are reluctant at this juncture to move Ramirez.

At the same time, some teams the Sox are competing directly with, or may see in the postseason, got better in the short term.

In their division, the Tigers got a terrific starter in Jarrod Washburn and the Twins got better at shortstop with Orlando Cabrera, who has plenty of motivation to beat the Sox.

The Red Sox also made a nice move in getting catcher/first baseman/DH Martinez from the Indians.

While the Tigers really helped themselves, it was big for the White Sox that Halladay didn't end up in Detroit, Boston, New York or Anaheim.

It was huge for the Cubs that Halladay didn't end up in St. Louis, Milwaukee or Los Angeles, but that's not much consolation for Cubs fans hoping for something big Friday afternoon.

There's no doubt that sometimes the worst deals are the ones made out of desperation in late July, and at least neither Chicago team made that mistake at the deadline.

There's also the opportunity for both teams to help themselves in August, as players clear waivers during these tough economic times.

Nevertheless, July 31 is one of those days for wishes and dreams.

In Chicago this time around, it was a reality on the South Side.

And on the North Side, it was once again mere fantasy.

brozner@dailyherald.com