Giants re-sign Jake Peavy

The Giants, in efficiently predictable fashion, have retained one of their own free agents. Jake Peavy is returning on a two-year, $24 million contract.

Shortly after Jake Peavy came over from the Red Sox -- when he was one of the only good things going for a team hoping to squeak into a wild card slot -- it looked like there was no way he was going anywhere else this offseason. He liked Bochy. He liked the park. We liked him. Everyone was happy.

Then the postseason came, which a) exposed Peavy as an innings-eater and occasional belly-itcher, but certainly not the pitcher the Giants enjoyed after the trade deadline, and b) gave the Giants a lot more money. The money allowed them to run around and finish second everywhere. Peavy was linked to the Dodgers and Marlins, among others. It was the first free agency of his career. You can't blame him for being curious.

Meanwhile, the Padres just acquired you. You, right there. You're on the Padres, along with everyone else. You have to leave right now. We'll miss you.

The Giants are re-signing their own guys. They've become the cliché.

Except, it sure beats going into March with the rotation the way it was. I'd also wager they're not out on James Shields or any of their other pitching targets. They just can't take the podium and remind everyone that Tim Lincecum hasn't been effective for three years. Hurts their bargaining power. Hurts Lincecum's feelings. Heck, it hurts for me to type. I don't think Peavy completes the offseason.

If it does, well ... that's not very exciting. But it's effective. Peavy will be 34 next year, and in a world in which a broken Brett Anderson can get $10 million and an eminently hittable guy like Chris Capuano can get $5 million, here's the price of average with a ceiling of slightly above-average: two years, $24 million. I'll take it.

Just, you know, keep working, Giants.