Danny Knobler

The White Sox have agreed to a deal to acquire Jake Peavy from the Padres, subject to the pitcher's approval of the trade. Left-handed pitchers Aaron Poreda and Clayton Richard would go to the Padres, along with one or two other pitchers, according to major-league sources.

Peavy's approval isn't a sure thing, and could be contingent on the White Sox agreeing to modify Peavy's contract, possibly picking up a $22 million option for 2013.

Agent Barry Axelrod, who represents Peavy, told CBSSports.com colleague Scott Miller that as of early afternoon Eastern time, he still hadn't spoken to Peavy today.

"I expect Jake to be pitching tomorrow night against the Cubs in San Diego," Axelrod said.

Axelrod dismissed the idea that the deal is completely in Peavy's hands.

"That's a simplistic view of it," he said. "Approval or disapproval is not necessarily in black and white. . . . One thing we've talked about is certain considerations might need to be given should Jake agree to a deal."

In the past, Peavy has said that he would much prefer to remain in the National League. Axelrod has suggested in the past that a new contract, or at least a decision to pick up the 2013 option, could help change his mind on that preference.

Axelrod said he plans to speak with Peavy later today, and he said a resolution could come quickly.

"We have no intention of making this long-term," Axelrod said.

The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported the possible deal in its Thursday editions, saying that Peavy met with Padres manager Bud Black to discuss it after the Padres' 2-1 win over the Giants Wednesday night.

Peavy has spoken with White Sox reliever Scott Linebrink, his former teammate with the Padres, and sources said that Linebrink told him he likes playing for the White Sox.

Peavy has the right to veto any trade, and in the past he has expressed a strong preference for remaining in the National League. Last winter, the Padres twice came close to trading Peavy, first to the Braves and later to the Cubs, but both deals fell through.

It was always expected that Peavy would be the subject of more trade talks as this season progressed, but the White Sox are a surprise suitor. In Poreda and Richard, though, the Sox had the young pitching that the Padres were looking to get back in any Peavy trade.

Poreda, a 22-year-old who was Chicago's first-round draft pick in 2007, has a 2.23 ERA in seven starts for Double-A Birmingham. The 25-year-old Richard has a 4.33 ERA in 14 games for the White Sox, including two starts. The other players involved would also be pitchers, sources said.

The White Sox have struggled in the early part of the season; even after back-to-back wins over the Twins, the Sox are still just 17-22, 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Tigers. While Sox officials still believe that the American League Central race is wide open, but that the next month of games could be critical. Until John Danks beat the Twins Wednesday night, White Sox starters other than Mark Buehrle were 0-8 this month, with a combined 8.11 ERA.

While Buehrle is 6-1 this year and has averaged 15 wins a year over the last eight seasons, most Sox people still don't regard him as a true No. 1 starter.

"We've never had a CC Sabathia or a (Justin) Verlander," one White Sox official said. "Or a Peavy."

Peavy is 3-5 with a 3.82 ERA in nine starts for the Padres, but one scout who saw him pitch recently said he's still a top-of-the-rotation starter.

"There's not 10 better starting pitchers in baseball," the scout said. "He doesn't have quite the velocity he did a couple of years ago, but he's a better pitcher now."

The rotation hasn't been Chicago's only problem. The White Sox are last in the American League with just 157 runs scored in 39 games. But White Sox officials believe the offense could improve as the weather warms up and the ball starts flying out of U.S. Cellular Field. Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye have each homered in the first two games of the Twins series this week, as the Sox won both games, 6-2 and 7-4.

"They're not going to win unless two out of the three of [Jim] Thome, Dye and Konerko carry the load," one scout said.

Another scout's take: "Unless they get Danks and [Gavin] Floyd turned around, they're not going anywhere."