The odds of the Red Sox — or any team for that matter — landing Adrian Gonzalez seem slim this offseason, but that's not to say general manager Jed Hoyer's Padres won't be listening.
The Padres, who finished just two games out of fist place in the NL West and one game out of first place in the NL wild card, owe Gonzo just $5.5 million in 2011, making him arguably the league's biggest bargain. This also makes him less likely to be moved this offseason.
But the Sox could always use more offense, and after another year of watching the Yankees breeze into the postseason while Red Sox Nation sits through another lengthy winter, many feel it's time to make some serious moves this offseason. And the majority of the hot stove followers believe it all starts with Gonzalez, whom the Sox have been eying for quite some time now. But acquiring the slugger isn't going to be easy.
One source told the Boston Herald recently that a package including Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and first base prospect Anthony Rizzo wouldn't be enough. To make matters more difficult, the source told the Herald that either pitcher Casey Kelly or shortstop Jose Iglesias would have to be thrown in as well.
Gonzalez hit .298 with 31 homers and 101 RBIs this summer in San Diego. In 2009, he launched a career-high 40 homers and at just 28 years old, he's expected to smack at least 30 per year for years to come.
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