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Adrian Gonzalez

Red Sox May Still Covet Adrian Gonzalez

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Adrian Gonzalez was supposed to be the biggest trade chip at the 2010 deadline, but the 51-37 Padres aren’t about to sell. That doesn’t mean Boston’s interest in the Padres slugger has faded, however. A baseball source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that the Red Sox still like Gonzalez.

"If they could get Gonzalez [before next season], that would solve everything," the WEEI source said. "And I think that's their Plan A. But the way things are going that might be pie in the sky type of thinking."

Gonzalez is hitting .301/.397/.533 and no Padres regular has an OPS within 170 points of that, so A-Gon isn't going anywhere yet. The Padres can keep the 28-year-old for $5.5MM next year, before he hits free agency. For now, Gonzalez says he doesn’t want to go anywhere.

"It's just a relief not to be in trade rumors and be in first place, more than anything,” Gonzalez said.

The Red Sox have a club option of their own coming up. Bradford says it “seems very unlikely” that Boston will pick up David Ortiz’s $12.5MM option for 2011 and notes that the sides haven’t made major progress on contract talks about an alternate deal. Big Papi appears to want a multi-year contract and believes he’ll stay in Boston.

Odds & Ends: Green, Gonzalez, Berkman, Stanton

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Links for Saturday….

Stark On Orioles, Lee, Padres, Stanton, Angels

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Major league executives told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark which starters they would most want to have for the next ten years. Zack Greinke and Tim Lincecum didn't make the cut, but Felix Hernandez, Josh Johnson, Ubaldo Jimenez, David Price, Brett Anderson and Jon Lester did. Here are Stark's latest rumors, as the trade market starts taking shape:

  • Two teams say that the Orioles would listen on Kevin Millwood right now.
  • A rival executive says the Orioles are "sniffing around for a shortstop." Stark hears rumors that they have interest in Twins prospect Trevor Plouffe. 
  • The Mariners won't seriously consider trading Cliff Lee before they're sure they can't salvage their season.
  • There's increasing pessimism that the Astros will be able to obtain salary relief and prospects for Roy Oswalt.
  • Teams are giving up on acquiring Adrian Gonzalez this summer, since the Padres continue to win.
  • Two officials believe Heath Bell could be traded even if the Padres stay in contention. Check out this post from earlier in the week for more on Bell's trade value.
  • Tom Gorzelanny could be on the market in a couple weeks when John Grabow comes off the DL.
  • Stark hears that the Marlins will call Mike Stanton up next week. The Marlins are being cautious, since they want to prevent Stanton from obtaining super two status and teams believe the cut-off will be later than ever this year.
  • Stark's sources don't expect the Angels to start searching for a bat to replace Kendry Morales for a few weeks. When they begin looking for offense, they're expected to look for someone who is about to hit free agency or a versatile player who can defend around the diamond. Kendry Morales is under team control through 2013, so Prince Fielder wouldn't be a fit for the Angels.

Heyman On Prince, Buchholz, Sheets, Padres

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We've already heard about Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee, but Jon Heyman of SI.com introduces us to some lower-profile trade candidates in his latest column. Here's the latest on what trades to expect over the course of the next two months:

  • This summer, the Yankees plan on pursuing a reliever plus a hitter to replace Nick Johnson (Twitter link).
  • Executives believe there's a real chance the 19-28 Brewers deal Prince Fielder. One NL GM says "Milwaukee can't afford the Prince Fielders of the world.''
  • The Indians asked for Clay Buchholz in exchange for Cliff Lee last summer and were rejected by the Red Sox. The Indians were smart to ask, but the Red Sox are surely glad they held onto Buchholz, who has a 3.07 ERA this year.
  • An AL GM says Ben Sheets needs to be more consistent to become an appealing trade target. Sheets is pitching better after a slow start.
  • GMs around the league would love to see the White Sox make their pitchers available.
  • A White Sox insider says Ozzie Guillen isn't going anywhere.
  • One GM can see the D'Backs trading Dan Haren for a prospect-rich package, but other executives think the D'Backs will keep their ace.
  • Most executives see the Padres holding onto Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell – at least as long as they're playing this well.

Cafardo’s Latest: Padres, Lee, Iannetta, D’Backs

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In this week's Baseball Notes column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe praises the Padres for building a roster suited to their home ballpark. Let's take a look at a few other highlights from Cafardo's piece….

  • The Padres aren't talking about Adrian Gonzalez at the moment, but according to a GM who has inquired about the slugger, a losing streak might be all it takes for San Diego to reconsider Gonzalez's availability.
  • According to multiple scouts, the Cubs would move Derrek Lee if they could. Lee is earning $13MM in the final year of his contract, and also has a no-trade clause.
  • Rhode Island native Chris Iannetta acknowledged he'd heard rumors that he could be traded to the Red Sox, but said: "They’re just rumors. I don’t put any stock in any of that until someone directly involved actually tells me."
  • The Diamondbacks may have to think about dealing someone like Kelly Johnson in an attempt to acquire help for their bullpen (7.42 ERA).
  • Some managerial speculation: Cafardo thinks that if Joe Torre doesn't return to the Dodgers, he'd fit with the Braves, Mets, or Blue Jays next year, and wonders if the Orioles might consider Davey Johnson to replace Dave Trembley.

Where Could Alex Gordon Go?

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Let's face it: if the Royals aren't going to give Alex Gordon a chance to play regularly when they are 11-21, 10 games out of first, and weeks shy of Memorial Day, he has fallen out of favor with the club. After just 38 plate appearances, the Royals sent Gordon - the player they once selected him second overall - to Triple-A to make way for… Alberto Callaspo.

But Gordon, still just 26, is a career .320/.433/.577 hitter in the minor leagues. Clearly, some team should take a flier on Gordon as a possible long-term answer at third base. Which teams are best suited to do so, and how much is it likely to cost?

  • The Phillies seem like an interesting landing spot for Gordon, though not at first blush. Placido Polanco, after all, is signed through 2012. But Gordon could be an upgrade from Greg Dobbs at the very least. If Gordon fulfills his promise, the Phils could attempt to deal Polanco. More to the point, Gordon seems to fit the Phillies' template- his acquisition would be akin to the buy-low on Jayson Werth– and Philadelphia has depth in the farm system. A couple of their secondary pitching prospects could get it done.
  • The Orioles have a combined zero homers from Rhyne Hughes and Garrett Atkins, so Gordon could appeal to them as an option at first. Corner infield prospects Brandon Snyder and Josh Bell lurk in the minors, but with Miguel Tejada locked up for just one year, Gordon would provide the O's with depth and upside.
  • The Athletics don't have a ton in the way of a present or future player blocking Gordon. Kevin Kouzmanoff is a decent option, but he hardly has Gordon's upside at this point. With a number of nearly-ready pitching prospects to integrate into a young staff, the Athletics could well deal from pitching depth for Gordon, too.
  • The Padres are another possible landing spot, with Chase Headley unlikely to keep up his batting average-fueled start. San Diego has several third base prospects, including James Darnell, who Baseball America ranked as the organization's third-best prospect heading into the season. Still, none of the Padres prospects have even proven themselves at Double-A, so acquiring Gordon and giving him the chance to win the third base job wouldn't impact any of them in the short-term. It would also echo the acquisition of another buy-low, former top draft pick: Adrian Gonzalez. A package of one of the Padres' third base prospects and a pitcher should be enough to pry Gordon loose.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Gonzalez, Torre, Millar

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Ken Rosenthal's latest Full Count video is up at FOX Sports. Let's check out the highlights of this week's clip….

  • Given the Padres' success so far and the slow starts by some clubs who may be interested in Adrian Gonzalez (Mariners, White Sox, Braves), it looks for now as if the slugger could be traded in the offseason rather than in July.
  • If the White Sox made a play for Gonzalez, they wouldn't want to extend him for $20MM+ annually past 2011.
  • Friends of Joe Torre indicate to Rosenthal that the Dodgers' skipper may not want to return next year if the organization is still handcuffed financially by Frank McCourt's divorce. Rosenthal suggests that the Mets, Cubs, or Braves might end up being options for Torre.
  • Rosenthal questions the Cubs' decision to part ways with Kevin Millar, noting that the club could have used the 38-year-old's energy and clubhouse presence. The St. Paul Saints will be the beneficiaries of that clubhouse presence now.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Adrian, Strasburg, Mets, Zito

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Links for Saturday…

Heyman On Fielder, Pujols, Adrian

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Some tidbits from Jon Heyman on the early edition of MLB Tonight on the MLB Network,..

  • Heyman doesn't envision the Brewers getting a deal done with Prince Fielder.  While he was complimentary towards club owner Mark Attanasio, he doesn't see Milwaukee ponying up the $25MM a year that it will likely take to hang on to him.  This means that they'll have to trade him at the end of next year or let walk as a free agent.
  • Meanwhile, he believes that Albert Pujols is now in line to receive a contract worth $30MM per season, perhaps up to eight years.  The two sides tabled negotiations in March but will resume after the season.
  • Even though the Padres are currently in first place in the NL West, Heyman believes that the club will deal Adrian Gonzalez.  Heyman says it's unlikely that San Diego will allow their payroll to balloon in great excess of $50MM and therefore a re-up of Gonzalez won't fit in the budget.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Howard, Francisco, Mendoza

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Links to check out as we await Cliff Lee's Mariners debut…

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