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Giants acquire righty Jake Peavy from Red Sox

By WTOP Staff

JANIE McCAULEY
AP Baseball Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants boosted their rotation for the stretch run by acquiring right-hander Jake Peavy from the Boston Red Sox on Saturday for a pair of minor league pitchers.

The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner will start Sunday night’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants held a half-game division lead in the NL West against their rival going into Saturday night’s middle game at AT&T Park.

The Giants have plenty of familiarity with Peavy, who pitched for manager Bruce Bochy with the San Diego Padres in the playoffs in 2005-06.

“It’s great to be reunited with Jake,” Bochy said by text message. “Look forward to working with him again.”

San Francisco missed the playoffs in 2013 after winning the World Series in 2010 and ’12, and the club is committed to making another special October run.

The 33-year-old Peavy pitched one of his best games last Aug. 25 at Dodger Stadium. He tossed a three-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk in an 8-1 Red Sox victory.

San Francisco received cash from Boston and is sending right-hander Heath Hembree and lefty Edwin Escobar to the World Series champion Red Sox in the swap. Both players were optioned by the Red Sox to Triple-A Pawtucket.

“It provides Jake an opportunity to step right into a more ready pennant race out in the west,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “And we get two pitchers back we like.”

Peavy (1-9, 4.72 ERA) has been hurt by poor run support this season, receiving two runs or fewer of support in each of his past eight starts. He is in the final season of a $29 million, two-year contract.

“Going to miss him,” Boston’s Mike Napoli said. “A great competitor. A great teammate. His record doesn’t really show the kind of pitcher he is.”

Peavy is earning $14.5 million this season, with the Red Sox paying more than $3 million of his remaining salary for the year — $5.15 million.

Six weeks on the disabled list last year with a rib injury cost him a chance to have a conditional $15 million option for 2015 if he had reached 400 innings over 2013-14. He is at 268 2-3 heading into Sunday’s outing.

Yusmeiro Petit had been scheduled to pitch Sunday for the Giants with right-hander Matt Cain on the disabled list.

“The impetus to execute the trade was accelerated by the news we got about Matt Cain yesterday becoming more and more tenuous,” Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. “The longer he stays in this dormant stage, the more we’re going to seek a second opinion.”

The Giants made the deal without having to give up their top pitching prospect, Kyle Crick.

It’s been a busy week for Sabean and assistant GM Bobby Evans.

On Friday, they promoted second baseman Dan Uggla from Triple-A Fresno only four days after they signed him to a minor league contract Monday. Uggla was released by Atlanta on July 18.

Escobar went 3-8 with a 5.11 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 20 games for Triple-A Fresno, while Hembree went 1-3 with a 3.89 ERA and 18 saves with 46 strikeouts in 41 appearances for Fresno this year.

___

Freelance writers Mark Didtler in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Rick Eymer contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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