Are you ready for an Obsessive Adrian Gonzalez Trade Watch? It could be on the horizon. The San Diego Padres have confirmed that they will listen to offers for their 29-year-old first baseman, and the Chicago Cubs are expected to make a run at him.
Like many teams, the North Siders have had their eye on San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who can become a free agent after the 2011 season.
The small-market Padres know they will not be able to afford the $15 million-$20 million per season that Gonzalez will demand as a free agent next November. That being the case, deciding when to trade their best player will be the key to the Padres’ structure in the near future.
San Diego picked up Gonzalez’s $6.2 million option for 2011.
Gonzalez had surgery on his right shoulder in late October to repair his labrum. He’s expected to be 100 percent by spring training.
The Cubs would love to add Gonzalez. The fact the 29-year-old slugger hit 30 home runs or more in four consecutive seasons in cavernous Petco Park makes teams like the Cubs and Red Sox believe he’d be a 40-HR hitter in their parks. Historically, Wrigley Field has been a black hole for left-handed pull hitters due to wind conditions. Gonzalez is a perfect hitter for Wrigley, because he hits with power to all fields….
In order to trade for Gonzalez, if and when the Padres are ready to do so, teams will have to be ready to part with 3-4 of their top young players. In the meantime, the Cubs will be talking to the agents for the top left-handed hitting first baseman in the free agent market in order to find out what the market will be. ESPN Chicago.
Gonzalez’s situation lines up almost perfectly for the Cubs from a payroll perspective: he’ll make just $6.2 million in 2011 before becoming a free agent in 2012. The Cubs, who have little to spend in 2011, will have several large contracts coming off the books after 2011, so they’ll have the money available to sign a guy like Gonzalez.