Red Sox Acquire Adrian Gonzalez

Last night, negotiations with the San Diego Padres to bring in Adrian Gonzalez gained some steam. This morning, Buster Olney of ESPN reports that the Sox and Padres have agreed on a deal to bring Gonzalez to Boston in exchange for a handful of prospects. A-Gon will reportedly be in Boston on Saturday (today) to get a physical and to work out a long-term contract with the Sox. Casey Kelly is likely one of the prospects going to San Diego and some believe Jose Iglesias may also be involved. The Sox have been trying to acquire A-Gon since the trade deadline of 2009 and it appears they have finally been successful. With the acquisition, Adrian Beltre will no longer be on the Sox radar and they will turn their attention to Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth to solidify the middle of the lineup.

UPDATE 11:13: According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, there is a player to be named later in the deal as well. It is a 4 for 1 deal. Jon Heyman of SI thinks it could take a day or 2 for contract talks to wrap-up, but it is likely to be 7 years added to his contract for a total of 8 years at $170+ million.

UPDATE 10:38: According to multiple sources Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Reymond Fuentes are going to San Diego for A-Gon. Buster Olney reports that A-Gon is in Boston and contract extension talks will begin shortly.

This news is great for Sox fans, because it brings in one of the most talented and feared hitters in all of baseball. Kevin Youkilis will move back to his natural position at the hot corner and A-Gon will man 1st base. Last season, the 28-year old slugger hit .298 with 31 home runs and 101 rbis on a team that didn’t give him much offensive support and he continued to perform defensively. In his 5 full seasons in the league, A-Gon has 3 All-Star appearances and 2 Gold Gloves. A-Gon draws walks with the best of them (finishing 1st and 3rd in the NL the last 2 years in that category) and has played in 156, 161, 162, 160 and 160 games respectively in his last 5 seasons. Despite having off-season surgery, A-Gon is one of the most reliable players in baseball.

His power numbers are staggering as he has hit 30+ home runs in 4 straight seasons, breaking the 40 mark in 2009. Just imagine what damage he could do as a left-handed, opposite-field power hitter at Fenway Park? It is like taking a great hitter and placing him in the ideal park for his skills. In case you haven’t noticed, I am a huge fan of A-Gon and about a year ago I wrote a post begging him to come to Boston. He is one of the best young talents in baseball and would be a perfect fit for the Red Sox organization. Now the negotiating begins and hopefully the 2 sides can agree on a long term deal to keep A-Gon in a Sox uniform for the next half-a-dozen years.

Even though the Sox had to give up a handful of prospects, this is a fantastic deal and sends a message to Red Sox Nation that 2011 will not be a bridge year, but rather a year to contend. If Theo can pull Crawford or Werth out of his magic hat, this will be one of the best lineups and overall teams in baseball and will be able to go toe-to-toe with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. This move isn’t just for 2011, but for the base for the next several years in Beantown.

Keep it here for more news as it becomes available on the Adrian Gonzalez trade and other moves on the Sox radar.