SAN DIEGO -- True to his word, Padres pitcher Jake Peavy has agreed to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in March.

Peavy's agent, Barry Axelrod, confirmed Friday that the right-hander will again pitch in the Classic.

Peavy was part of Team USA in the 2006 Classic. His name is listed on the player interest list for the Classic on the USA Baseball Web site.

"He really wanted to do it and thoroughly enjoyed the experience and said it was one of the highlights of his career," Axelrod said of Peavy's participation in 2006.

San Diego general manager Kevin Towers said in an e-mail Friday that he doesn't have much trepidation about Peavy's participation in the Classic.

"I'm not overly concerned since this will be the second time he has been involved in the [Classic], with probably a much better understanding of what he needs to do prior to competition to be ready and the transitioning period of rejoining his ballclub after missing significant time," Towers said.

Peavy jumped at the opportunity to pitch for Team USA in 2006, but he later developed elbow tendinitis that troubled him for much of the regular season. He posted a 4.09 ERA, the second worst of his career.

In 2007, after the normal six weeks of preparation in Spring Training, Peavy won the NL Cy Young Award.

"I've pretty much stopped trying to talk him out of it," Axelrod said. "That [the risk of injury] is exactly what I predicted would happen. I fear that could happen again. But he thinks that it's worth it. That's the competitor in him."

Peavy's participation could take him away from the Padres' camp for more than three weeks. He would report to Spring Training in Peoria with the team on Feb. 14, and then report to the Team USA workouts in Florida on March 2.

Should Team USA advance to the finals on March 23 at Dodger Stadium, Peavy could rejoin the Padres on March 24, in time for the final 12 exhibition games of Spring Training.

The provisional rosters for the Classic are due on Jan. 16, with the final roster to be set by USA Baseball on Feb. 24. Team USA opens on March 7 against Team Canada at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.