Earlier on Wednesday morning, there were reports that the Boston Red Sox were stepping up their efforts to acquire first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from their old pal Jed Hoyer, GM of the San Diego Padres.
Of course this all came about after the Red Sox signed free agents Mike Cameron and John Lackey.
First up is this from Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune:
At the moment, the Padres and Red Sox are not talking. And Hoyer’s last discussion with Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein last week at the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis did not involve Gonzalez.
But there is speculation in Boston that the Red Sox might try to reopen talks about Gonzalez, who is contracted to the Padres through the end of 2011.
Are the Red Sox desperate enough to make Hoyer a deal he can’t refuse – even if he might be hesitant to have his first major move as the Padres’ general manager a trade that sent the Padres’ most productive and popular player to his former team?
And this from FOXSports.com:
A deal is not close, and might not happen at all, sources said. Jed Hoyer, the Padres’ new general manager — and Red Sox’s former assistant GM — wants a high price for Gonzalez, whose contract is one of the biggest bargains in baseball.
“Jed has been asking for a ton,” one source said.
The Padres would be tempted to move Gonzalez if they could get Buchholz and Ellsbury in the same deal, sources say. However, the Red Sox would be very reluctant to include both, according to another source.
And of course Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston debunked those rumors via his Twitter page on Wednesday afternoon.
Take a deep breath, Boston fans. Adrian Gonzalez won’t be walking through the door anytime soon. Nothing going on on that front.
Red Sox know what it would take to get Gonzalez, and they’re not trading Buchholz and Ellsbury, baseball source tells me. SD asking a ton.
So would you include Ellsbury in a trade for Gonzalez? Conventional wisdom says no but if I’d think about it.
It would be hard to replace what Ellsbury brings to the Red Sox (defense, stolen bases) but when you can get player of the caliber of Gonzalez, you really have to consider it. Buchholz in all of this is a no-brainer.
But if you can make the trade with Buchholz and a few prospects, I think the Red Sox would be better off in the long run.
It’s hard to replace what Ellsbury does for them.
Hoyer will most likely end up trading Gonzalez if the deal is right but why not now while his value is at it’s highest.
