by Ken Rosenthal

MLB Hot Stove

Ken Rosenthal and our MLB crew have you covered. Check out all the news and notes from the hot stove. Angels sign Abreu to 1-year deal Sources: Nats land Dunn w/2-year deal Updates: Lefty relievers getting offers Wolf, Dodgers agree to $5M deal Sources: Mets ink deal to keep Perez Braves, Kotchman avoid arbitration Sources: Rays, Shouse OK deal Report: Varitek to stay with BoSox Mets, Maine avoid arbitration Pirates sign P Maholm to 3-year deal

It's not true.

"Totally inaccurate," a Padres source with knowledge of the discussions told FOXSports.com on Thursday. "We are not close with anyone at this time."

Barry Axelrod, the agent for Peavy, said shortly before 3 p.m. ET that he had spoken earlier with Padres general manager Kevin Towers, but was not presented a trade for his client's approval.

Such a move would be a precursor to any transaction; Peavy, who possesses a full no-trade clause, has the right to veto any deal. The Braves were one of the teams on a wish list that Peavy submitted to the Padres at the start of the offseason. The Cubs, the other club deep in negotiations with the Padres, also were on the list.

CBSSports.com reported late Wednesday night that the Braves were on the verge of acquiring Peavy.

However, officials from both the Braves and Cubs said early Thursday that they had not heard back from the Padres, indicating that a deal might not be near.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella downplayed his team's pursuit of Peavy on Wednesday, calling it "only talk," but the Cubs remain interested in making a deal.

The Braves have been a front-runner for Peavy since beginning their talks with the Padres in early October. But if their impasse with the Braves continues, the team could shift its focus on starting pitching to the free-agent market, which opens Friday.

The Padres, according to CBSSports, were to receive Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar, Class A outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, either right-hander Charlie Morton or left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes and either reliever Blaine Boyer or one of two minor-league left-handers, one of whom was believed to be Jeff Locke.

Most of those names have been under discussion since the beginning of the talks, and a source with knowledge of the conversations acknowledged that those players could form the approximate framework of the deal.