Cardinals in pursuit of Jake Peavy?

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Cardinals and Red Sox "appear to be emerging as two potential players" for right hander Jake Peavy of the White Sox.  With the recent trade of Matt Garza by the Cubs to the Rangers, Peavy is now the top pitcher on the market.

As I relayed yesterday, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Cardinals were one of several teams that had a scout in attendance for Peavy's start on Saturday.  Although Rosenthal suggested that the Cardinals could have been scouting other players, it appears now that perhaps Peavy was their main focus.

Peavy, who was making his fist start since missing over a month with a rib fracture, pitched fairly well, giving up only 2 earned runs (4 total) over 6 innings.  He seems to be back to his old form after dealing with injuries from 2009-2011.

One reason the Cardinals could be attractive to the Cardinals, after they passed on Garza, is that Peavy is under team control through the 2014 season.  Granted he will earn $14.5 million next year, but the Cards would have the payroll flexibility to afford such a contract.

Another reason the Cardinals could be looking to add Peavy, is that the Cardinals may have innings limits on some of their young starters, such as Shelby Miller.  As was reported by Fox Sports Midwest, Miller appears to be limited to 180 innings this season, which might put him in a Stephen Strasburg type situation come September and October.

Finally, it appears that Chris Carpenter is unlikely to provide any help this season.  Just one day after Joe Strauss reported that Carpenter still had "a long way to go", now comes the news that Carpenter's rehab has been delayed due to hand numbness.

With Lance Lynn struggling and Joe Kelly currently manning the 5th starter spot, the Cardinals may want to bolster their rotation with a veteran arm, like Peavy.  Although I'm not entirely sold on the idea, especially when you consider the cost in terms of prospects and money, I can see why they are at least considering it.

One thing is for sure, the trade rumors are heating up.