Discussion: Should The Padres Deal Adrian Gonzalez?
Writing for VoiceofSanDiego.org, Tom Krasovic analyzes the Padres' options when it comes to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
San Diego CEO and vice chairman Jeff Moorad has maintained that Gonzalez will not be traded during or after the season, saying that "at some level, albeit a significant one financially, I can see him fitting in long term."
Just how "significant" that is will be the issue for the Padres. Krasovic has heard that "the Padres believe that Gonzalez could command $20 million per season as a free agent."
Will the Padres be able to sign Gonzalez when his contract expires after 2011? If not, when should they consider dealing him and stocking their depleted major and minor league rosters? Who might put in a bid for him this offseason?
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Halladay, Padres, Orioles, Holliday, Dodgers
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count Video up. Let's dive in…
- The Brewers are flying under the radar for Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays love shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar, but the Brew Crew might not have the young pitching needed to complete a deal.
- Rosenthal isn't sure Halladay would approve a deal to Milwaukee either.
- Don't expect the Padres to move either Adrian Gonzalez or Heath Bell before the trade deadline. GM Kevin Towers says it makes "no sense" to move those players now, but it could be a different story in the offseason since teams may be more willing to discuss Major League players then.
- The Orioles aren't "terribly enthused" about trading either Aubrey Huff or Luke Scott. The O's could try to retain the free agent to be Huff in the offseason by offering him arbitration, and taking the compensation draft picks if he declines. Scott is still under team control for another few seasons.
- Don't be surprised if the A's are "relatively quiet" at the deadline. Matt Holliday is drawing only minimal interest, but that could change if he heats up before the deadline.
- Oakland has gotten calls about reliever Michael Wuertz and "to a lesser degree Brad Ziegler," but they aren't in a rush to move either guy since they're cheap and under team control for the next few seasons.
In a separate video, Rosenthal says that Dodgers manager Joe Torre has "made it clear he wants Roy Halladay." The problem is that Toronto has asked for Clayton Kershaw as the centerpiece of any deal, and the money might be prohibitive for LA. The Dodgers are also looking for a setup reliever. Rosenthal also reiterates the lack of interest in Holliday.
Towers Speaks About Possible Moves
Padres GM Kevin Towers spoke with Darren Smith of 1090 XX Sports Radio earlier today, touching on a variety of Padre related topics. You can download and listen to the interview by clicking here, but here's a roundup of the rumors…
- Towers said he expects to get calls from contending teams about his "experienced players," mentioning David Eckstein, Brian Giles, Henry Blanco, Kevin Correia, Chad Gaudin, Cla Meredith and Mike Adams by name.
- He also said it's doubtful that the team would take on salary in a deadline deal, but they might be able to during the offseason.
- Depending on how he comes back from injury, there may be interest in Giles. Towers said it's doubtful anything happens before the deadline, but a waiver trade could be made in August. Giles, of course, has a full no-trade clause.
- When asked why he wouldn't trade Adrian Gonzalez or Heath Bell before the deadline to bring back as much talent as possible, Towers said "it's not to say we won't." He then mentions that they first need to determine what young players they're committed to keeping here and what they need to bring in from outside the organization, but if someone approaches them about one of those guys "they need to listen."
Should The Pads Listen To Offers For Gonzalez?
Adrian Gonzalez is not on the block. The Padres aren't contenders, but they want to keep their All-Star first baseman and they have many reasons to hold onto Gonzalez:
- He's their best hitter, with 24 homers and a massive walk total (67).
- He adds value on defense, according to FanGraphs.
- He's just 27, playing in his prime.
- They only have to pay him $3MM this year, $4.75MM next year and $5.6MM the year after that.
- They let Trevor Hoffman walk and publicly tried to deal Jake Peavy, so their fans need to see the team commit to one of its stars.
But some of those same points would make Gonzalez incredibly appealing to other clubs. Here are some reasons the Padres could consider dealing him:
- Their team isn't about to win now, or in the near future.
- Gonzalez could command a Mark Teixeira-esque haul.
- His slugging percentage is 115 points higher on the road this year.
- He hinted that he'd like to play for a winner.
So what are your thoughts? Should the Padres entertain offers for their best player?
Odds And Ends: Sano, Gonzalez, Royals
Here's some more reading material for the afternoon…
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney runs through his first half surprises, including Ben Zobrist and the Tigers. He also says Roy Halladay and the Phillies are a perfect fit.
- As Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Miguel Angel Sano's future is still up in the air. The Orioles and Pirates and the favorites to sign the Dominican shortstop, but the Twins, Rangers and a couple other teams could still be interested.
- Adrian Gonzalez told WEEI.com's Alex Speier that winning matters most of all to him. Gonzalez is one of the players Speier looks at as potential fits in Boston, along with Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez.
- Here, Speier says Tim Wakefield has been one of the best bargains in baseball since 2002.
- Cameron Smith of the Washington Post says B.J. Ryan could be a nice addition for the Cubs.
- Dave Sheinin of the Post reports that Bud Selig said the Nats are "on the right track."
- Bradford Doolittle of the Kansas City Star says Royals GM Dayton Moore needs a better grasp of the game's statistical side.
Odds And Ends: Nats, Bruce, Padres, Halladay
Congrats to All-Star Game starters Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum. What a matchup. Here are some more links to look through…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Nationals "will remain an embarrassment" unless they give Mike Rizzo and Stan Kasten more power.
- Jay Bruce will miss 6-8 weeks, according to Brian Kollars of the Dayton Daily News, but the young outfielder didn't suffer any ligament or tendon damage in his right wrist.
- One talent evaluator told Tom Krasovic that it will be five years before the Padres are good again, so Krasovic creates a blueprint for the team.
- Some of his suggestions: Make the most of every dollar, go after high upside pitching, find out how much Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell would bring in a trade.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports that Roy Halladay does not have a list of teams he would accept trades to. Last week Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal reported that Halladay had such a list, but it is not the case.
Odds And Ends: Rolen, Gonzalez, Buchholz
Time for more links as we wrap up the weekend after a rain-shortened Futures Game. Well really a rain-prolonged Futures Game, but here are the links either way…
- As Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com points out, there was a time when GMs made a point of attending All-Star Games. This week, many will spend time with their families and message one another from a distance.
- Blue Jays Assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos says the Jays plan on keeping Scott Rolen around through the end of next season, when his contract's up, according to MLB.com's Brian Eller.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown reports that Adrian Gonzalez will continue to be a Padres fan whether he plays in San Diego or not. Gonzalez seems to have confidence in the team's new CEO, Jeff Moorad.
- Clay Buchholz told WEEI.com's Alex Katz that he'll focus on process, not results when he pitches for the Red Sox in Toronto after the break.
No Offers For Adrian Gonzalez
Adrian Gonzalez hasn't been on the trading block, so no teams have even presented the Padres with "serious trade offers," according to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure.
That works for Gonzalez, who plans on honoring his contract until it expires after 2011, and for the Padres front office. As one executive joked, Kevin Towers & co. will have to walk around in suits of armor if they deal Gonzalez and Jake Peavy the same year they let Trevor Hoffman walk.
Check out the rest of Arangure's article for detail on kidnapping threats Gonzalez has received.
Odds And Ends: Padres, Fukumori, Ortiz
Some links for Tuesday morning…
- Today's chat will be at 2pm CST.
- Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports that the Padres know they have to win if they want to stop management from trading players away.
- Adrian Gonzalez says it's too early to tell how long he'll remain a Padre.
- Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker passes on a report saying Kazuo Fukumori will be released by the Rangers. He made four appearances for them last year, but hasn't pitched in the majors this season.
- It's not his eyes, after all. David Ortiz can see just fine according to John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer responds to Eddie's post about the mystery shortstop the Red Sox have interest in, saying it's "probably not" Yunel Escobar.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he believes Neal Huntington made an "understandable" and "wise" decision when he dealt Nate McLouth to the Braves.
- Joe Posnanski does not want to see the Royals trade for Jeff Francouer.
Olney On Adrian Gonzalez
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says if the Padres deal Adrian Gonzalez, it will be during the winter. Here are the reasons why:
- The Padres have alienated their fans by letting Trevor Hoffman leave and trying to deal Jake Peavy in the midst of an ownership change. They don't want to risk disturbing their fan base any further.
- During their 1993 fire sale, they traded Fred McGriff and Gary Sheffield away, but kept Tony Gwynn. This year could be similar if the Padres trade Peavy after seeing Hoffman leave and they want to have a franchise player.
- The Red Sox would be interested if Gonzalez were available now, but Olney says more teams would bid during the offseason, when the Padres could get better players in return for their star.