Padres Hire Jake Peavy As Special Assistant

The Padres announced this afternoon that Jake Peavy has returned to the organization as a special assistant to CEO Erik Greupner. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the news just before the club finalized the hiring.

“I’m incredibly appreciative of this opportunity to reunite with my Padres family,” the longtime MLB starter said in a press release. “San Diego has always held a special place in my heart. I’m a Padre through and through – from the moment I was drafted by the team until this very day, and I can’t wait to work alongside this talented group and contribute in any way I can to the success of this great organization.”

Peavy, 43, played more than half of 15-year big league career in San Diego. The Padres selected him out of high school in the 1999 draft. Peavy reached the majors three years later and broke through as an ace by 2004. The righty won the ERA title with a 2.27 mark over 27 starts that season. That kicked off a run of four sub-3.00 showings across five years. Peavy led the National League with 216 strikeouts in ’05. His 240 punchouts and 2.54 earned run average in ’07 were both best in the majors. He won the Cy Young and finished seventh in MVP balloting.

The Friars traded Peavy to the White Sox at the ’09 deadline. Over parts of eight seasons in a Padre uniform, he worked to a 3.29 ERA with just over a strikeout per inning. Peavy’s big career stretched for another seven years. He played for the White Sox, Red Sox and Giants through the 2016 campaign. The Padres inducted him into their organizational Hall of Fame in 2023.

Padres add former Cy Young winner to front office as special assistant

It is always important to honor and recognize the great players who elevated an organization. It is even more exciting to include that retired player in day-to-day operations, and now, the Padres have another former great to fill that void. On Thursday, San Diego’s press release announced that Jake Peavy will join the San Diego staff as a Special Assistant to the CEO.

Peavy, a Padres Hall of Famer and Cy Young Award winner, will work under Erik Greupner in several departments, serving as an ambassador for the organization. One of the all-time greatest Padres, bringing Peavy onboard is a savvy move to add to the Padres’ prestige.

Jake Peavy joins Padres as special assistant to the CEO

Peavy is one of five pitchers in club history to be named the Cy Young Award winner. Dominating in 2007, he was the first Padre since 1989 (Mark Davis) to be given the honor. Peavy collected the pitching Triple Crown that year, winning 19 games, striking out 240 batters, and posting a 2.54 ERA

Peavy spent eight years with the Padres, owning a 3.29 ERA with two All-Star appearances. He is tied with Randy Jones for the second-most wins in Friars history with 92, and is the all-time Padres strikeout leader with 1,348. He retired with 2,207 career strikeouts, which is 66th most in history.

Adding a pitcher of this caliber to the front office staff will be beneficial to allowing an already-strong rotation reach new heights. Led by Michael King, Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, and Nick Pivetta, this staff can learn and benefit from having Peavy around. Peavy joins fellow Padres pitching great Trevor Hoffman to the staff, who is a Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations with San Diego.