Jake Peavy hires agent Jeff Berry of CAA, prepares for off-season contract negotiations

Veteran pitcher Jake Peavy had talked about possibly representing himself in contract negotiations that will likely take place this winter, but on Friday he changed his mind and signed agent Jeff Berry of CAA to represent him. White Sox technically hold a $22 million club option on Peavy for the 2013 season, but they are expected to pay the $4 million buyout and decline the option to let the 31-year-old either test the market or sign a more team-friendly deal.

Sox general manager Ken Williams traded for Peavy on July 31, 2009 in a deal that sent Dexter Carter, Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard and Adam Russell to the San Diego Padres, and the veteran hurler has had ups and downs on the south side. Peavy's best season came in 2012, as he posted a 3.37 ERA with 194 strikeouts and 49 walks over 219 innings, which is a far better pitching performance far better than his 11-12 record suggests.

What does it mean to the White Sox now that Peavy has hired Berry? It's hard to say. Berry also represents John Danks, who signed a lucrative extension with Chicago last off-season, and Mark Buehrle, who priced himself out of the Chicago's range and bolted for the Miami Marlins. The biggest issue might be the timing of Peavy's great play, which is something Berry noted when he talked with Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune: "Jake is 31, a three-time All-Star, a Cy Young winner, one of the best competitors in the game and pitching as well as ever."