Rosenthal On Gonzalez, Beckett, De La Rosa

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up today, in which he discusses a variety of topics from around the league. Let's recap a few of the highlights….

• Although the Boston Red Sox have been the team most frequently linked to Adrian Gonzalez, it's unclear whether they have the pieces to work out a trade. Rosenthal suggests the Padres will want some major-league talent in return, and quotes one baseball executive who says he can't imagine how the Sox get a deal done.
• Rosenthal says the Padres should be more inclined to move closer Heath Bell than Gonzalez.
• When Josh Beckett discusses a contract extension with the Red Sox, Rosenthal advises him to point to the deal A.J. Burnett signed last winter as a starting point, since Beckett's track record is even stronger than Burnett's. He thinks if the Red Sox were to balk at a long-term commitment, plenty of other teams would be interested.
• A source indicates that when Jorge De La Rosa hits free agency in a year, he would like a contract similar to Oliver Perez's three-year, $36MM deal. It's hard to see him demanding that much unless he has a breakout year in 2010, but his impending raise could prompt the Rockies to field trade offers for the lefty.
• Ken Griffey Jr. will likely decide in a couple weeks whether he wants to keep playing.
• According to Rosenthal, "some who know [Matt] Holliday say he would prefer not to play in New York."
• We heard from Troy Renck yesterday that the Rockies were talking to Rafael Betancourt about an extension. Rosenthal reports that Betancourt apparently turned down a two-year deal worth up to about $7MM.
• Rosenthal opines that Garrett Atkins is unlikely to be traded because of his price tag, and will almost certainly be non-tendered.