News
Multi-team trade for Gonzalez a tough task
Angels, White Sox said to be exploring three-team deal
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
11/17/09 12:19 PM EST
SAN DIEGO -- Trying to trade a burgeoning superstar is never an easy proposition for a team, and attempting to do so within the framework of a multi-team deal figures to be an even thornier plan.Yet as the San Diego Padres dive headlong into the offseason, they'll no doubt be faced with a bevy of proposals from teams -- some probably more enticing than others -- for two time All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
The Padres haven't said Gonzalez, 27, is on the trading block or if the team will hang on to him for the duration of his affordable contract, which will see him make $4.75 million in 2010 with a club option for $5.5 million in '11.
San Diego general manager Jed Hoyer was to meet with Gonzalez's agent, John Boggs, this week, though the tone of the meeting figured to be more compulsory than anything that resembles contract negotiations.
Hoyer said recently that Gonzalez's affordable contract and his popularity in San Diego and across the border in Mexico, where he spent part of his childhood, made Gonzalez a perfect fit locally.
"He's a great player with a great contract who's a fan favorite," Hoyer told SI.com this week in Chicago.
That won't stop speculation that the team might be looking to deal Gonzalez.
An Internet report Monday said there have been preliminary discussions between the Padres, White Sox and Angels about a potential three-team trade involving Gonzalez, White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko and a handful of prospects from both teams heading to San Diego.
There figures to be even more rumors involving Gonzalez before, during and after the Winter Meetings, which begins on Dec. 7 in Indianapolis. That is, of course, unless the Padres say they're not dealing Gonzalez, which they don't have to do.
Pulling off a multi-team deal for Gonzalez, especially a multi-team deal, wouldn't be easy by any means.
Konerko will make $12 million in the final year of his contract with full no-trade rights. The Angels could be looking for a designated hitter if Vladimir Guerrero leaves for free agency, though the team has other internal candidates, like moving Juan Rivera to DH, that won't come with a hefty price tag.
The Angels, of course, could be looking to spend this offseason to replace pitcher John Lackey, who already has potential suitors lining up to talk to his agent.
Then there's the prospect component. The Angels and White Sox would, conceivably, need to send a bevy of Major League-ready talent and/or prospects to San Diego to get the Padres to consider moving Gonzalez.
In July, the White Sox sent four pitchers, including highly regarded left-hander Aaron Poreda to the Padres in the Jake Peavy deal. Would the White Sox dip even deeper into their pool of prospects to get Gonzalez, potentially weakening their farm system?
The Padres are in the enviable position of simply hanging onto Gonzalez or asking the moon for him. They listened to potential deals at the Trade Deadline this season and did not find a package of players to their liking.
Gonzalez, for his part, said last week that he's in a "win-win situation" no matter what happens, meaning if he's traded it will likely be to a playoff contender. Staying in San Diego, of course, means staying in his native San Diego, where he's a two-time All-Star and has won two Gold Glove Awards.
"If I get to stay here with the Padres and stay in my hometown and live here at home and be with these great fans and great city, then I'm in a winning situation," Gonzalez said. "If I end up getting traded, I'm getting traded to a team that more than likely will be in the playoffs and will be contending for a World Series title."
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
