Padres want Braves’ top pitching prospect for Peavy

Dana Point, Calif. — Braves general manager Frank Wren said Wednesday he didn’t expect to make any big trades before leaving the GM meetings Thursday morning. He will be stopping in Arizona on the way home to see the big-name prospect he refuses to include in any trade.

Wren and his assistants will stop in Phoenix to see top-rated Braves pitching prospect Tommy Hanson make a start Thursday night for the Mesa Soloar Sox in the Arizona Fall League.

The San Diego Padres would like to get Hanson from the Braves as the centerpiece in a proposed trade for Padres ace Jake Peavy, but the Braves have refused to include him.

Hanson threw a 14-strikeout no-hitter for Class AA Mississippi last summer, and is 3-0 with no runs and four hits allowed in 132/3 innings of four starts for Mesa, with three walks and 19 strikeouts. The Braves believe he’s a future top-of-the-rotation starter who could pitch in the majors in 2009.

The Braves are still widely considered a frontrunner to land Peavy, the 2007 Cy Young Award winner, but might have to part with shortstop Yunel Escobar and a few prospects to get a deal done.

Wren’s primary goals this winter are to acquire two proven starting pitchers and a power-hitting outfielder, and one enticing possibility is St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick, who finally stayed healthy in 2008 and hit .299 with 37 homers and 113 RBIs in a career-best season.

Negotiations with the Cardinals could be held up by the Peavy situation, because the Cardinals want Escobar or second baseman Kelly Johnson, and the Braves won’t trade both of them this winter.

Wren said the Braves might have to wait to see if other players become available.

“There’s not a lot of [outfield] possibilities,” said Wren, declining to talk about specific players being discussed. “That’s going to develop slowly, I think.”

Since they won’t trade Hanson or a few other unspecified top prospects, the Padres have asked the Braves for Escobar and a few lesser prospects.

Wren said he had several productive meetings Wednesday with other GMs and representatives of several free-agent players.

The Braves are known to have expressed interest in Cubs free-agent pitcher Ryan Dempster.

Other possibilities are Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett, but each could command a salary higher than the Braves are willing to pay. The Braves hope to fill their ace hole with Peavy, who’s under contract for four more years and $63 million, or five years and $81 million, including a 2012 option.

While the Dodgers have been mentioned as another suitor for Peavy, the Cubs and St. Louis could be the Braves’ main competition.

There were plenty of skeptics this week who doubted Padres GM Kevin Towers would trade Peavy to the rival Dodgers. Some believe he mentioned the Dodgers and New York Yankees just to pry the best possible package for Peavy from the Braves or another team.

Peavy has a no-trade clause and has indicated a strong desire to stay in the NL with the Braves, Astros, Cardinals, Cubs or Dodgers. It’s uncertain whether any of those teams other than the Braves have enough young talent they are willing to trade to satisfy Towers’ demands.