NEWSLETTER
The body that is the Adrian Gonzalez trade to the Red Sox is still warm, but the Chicago Cubs have already reached out to the Padres about the first baseman, says a source.
Shortly before the Padres and Red Sox agreed in principle to the trade late in the week (and as reported yesterday), it was reported that the Chicago Cubs were making a push for Gonzalez. And indeed, the Cubs were trying very hard late into the night on Friday to put something together. The push didn’t last long, as the Red Sox seemingly landed Gonzalez, and began working on an extension on Saturday.
Now that the Red Sox trade has fallen through, the Cubs are looking to try and restart talks with the Padres, which previously didn’t get very far – according to the source – because of the Cubs’ reticence to deal Andrew Cashner, Tyler Colvin, Chris Archer, Brett Jackson, Hak-Ju Lee or Trey McNutt. The Cubs may now be more willing to part with some from that group.
The rub is the Padres’ willingness to move Gonzalez before the season starts, now that his perceived value is reduced – that is to say, now that it’s been established he’s going to be very hard to sign to an extension. The Padres don’t feel like they have to move Gonzalez this Winter, and might be content to wait until mid-season, hoping that Gonzalez will come back fine from shoulder surgery, and re-establish his position as one of the best first baseman in the game.
For now, the Cubs appear ready to try and make another run at Gonzalez. And the Red Sox haven’t given up on trying to pin down a Gonzalez deal, either. This week’s Winter Meetings certainly should be exciting.
UPDATE: It looks like Cashner and Colvin are now being made available. The Cubs are still very reluctant to move Jackson, McNutt, Archer, and Lee (in that general order).
