Shortstop Yunel Escobar is the centerpiece of the Braves' offer for Peavy, and Brent Lillibridge, an unproven player, will become the team's leading internal option at short if the deal is completed.

The talks between the Braves and Padres remained at an impasse Thursday, the last day before teams are permitted to negotiate with free agents from other clubs.

If a deal is not completed quickly, the Braves might simply keep Escobar and pursue free-agent starting pitchers such as Derek Lowe and Ryan Dempster.

Peavy, who holds a full no-trade clause, has the right to veto any deal. His agent, Barry Axelrod, has expressed concern that the loss of Escobar would weaken the Braves.

The pursuit of Furcal would alleviate those concerns, but the Braves would face significant competition for the shortstop, who has drawn interest from 10 teams, according to his agent, Paul Kinzer.

The Dodgers are trying to re-sign Furcal, whom they signed to a three-year, $39 million contract after the 2005 season. The A's, who acquired left fielder Matt Holliday from the A's earlier this week, also are heavily interested.

Furcal, 31, spent his first six seasons with the Braves before signing with the Dodgers. Kinzer has said he is seeking a four-year deal, but some teams are reluctant to go that length with Furcal coming off back surgery.

Los Angeles Dodgers News News » Sources: Braves would pursue Furcal after Peavy 2008-11-13
Sources: Braves would pursue Furcal after Peavy 2008-11-13
If the Braves acquire Padres right-hander Jake Peavy, one of their next steps will be to pursue free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal, major-league sources say. MLB Hot Stove