It has been no secret that the Boston Red Sox are extremely interested in bringing Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. There have been off and on talks with the San Diego Padres for the last few years about potential trade and every time the 2 sides begin to get close to a deal, it falls through. With Jed Hoyer leaving the Red Sox for the Padres GM role before last season, the people involved with the negotiation changed but the results so far have not. An unnamed source told the Boston Herald that the Red Sox offered a package of Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and first base prospect Anthony Rizzo, but the Padres rejected the deal. The Padres are looking for top pitching prospect Casey Kelly and shortstop Jose Iglesias in order to get a deal completed. If the Sox can get a deal completed for the 28-year old lefty, they will likely drop off the Adrian Beltre suitors list and move Kevin Youkilis to 3rd. (more after the jump)
Over the last 5 years, Adrian Gonzalez has been one of the most consistent and reliable players in the National League. Gonzalez has missed a grand total of 11 games over his last 5 years, while racking up 161 home runs (168 total) and 501 (525 total) rbis. When playing Gonzalez, you know what you are going to get. A hard-working, power threat who hits in the upper .200s and plays a strong 1st base. Gonzo is a middle of the lineup guy that will ease the pressure on his teammates and allow the guys in front of him in the batting order better pitches to hit. His presence on a team like the Red Sox would allow management to drop off the suitors list for Adrian Beltre who will most certainly bring in big money if he joins the free agent pool like expected.
I’m not holding my breath that a deal will get done because Gonzo is under contract (team option) for 2011 and will be making just $5.8 million, a ridiculous steal. When his contract is up after the 2011 campaign, the Padres will not be able to afford to keep the big slugger, so they will likely opt to move him mid-2011 to at least get something in return. The one promising thing for the Red Sox has been their depth of prospects that will allow them to be the front-runners in landing Gonzo, whether it happens soon or mid-to-late 2011. For now, just sit back and let the paid professionals take a shot at landing one of the most coveted young players in baseball.