Adrian Gonzalez

Unlike football or basketball, baseball’s annual player draft is not designed to change the team that year.

They hold the draft in the middle of the season (June) instead of during the off-season because the teams do not expect any player they draft to have an immediate impact. In fact teams usually have to wait years before they see what type of players their draft picks turn out to be.

It's March, so it's once again time to get out the glove oil and rubber bands, clean off or buy new spikes, remember where the lucky batting gloves went, and wonder if you're too fat to play softball.

It's also time to wonder if your favorite player will stay on your favorite team throughout the entire season.

2009 was a tough year for San Diego Padres fans, starting with getting used to not watching the all-time save leader Trevor Hoffman close out games and then their ace, Jake Peavy, was sent to the Chicago White Sox midseason. 

The release of the longest tenured general manager in MLB would follow, as Kevin Towers made way for 36-year-old Jed Hoyer, former assistant GM of the Boston Red Sox.  The question becomes will the Padres blend together quickly enough to compete in the National League West this year? 

Though the trade talk between the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres surrounding first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has died off, there could be a new rumor floating to the surface.

The Chicago Cubs have had previous interest in Jacoby Ellsbury; there's no question the Red Sox would love to add Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to their lineup; and the Padres have already asked for Clay Buchholz and top prospects Casey Kelley or Ryan Westmoreland.

The rumors don't seem to stop even when a prominant ESPN writer says not to take any of them seriously.

There was talk of the Boston Red Sox going hard after San Diego Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, then there were rumors that the Mariners and Orioles could possibly get involved. All three never seemed to get anything accomplished and the rumors died off quietly.

For the better part of two months, the only thing fans in Boston and San Diego were talking about was whether the two teams were going to work out a deal that would send Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox.

During that same amount of time, ESPN's Jayson Stark had continued to tell people not to put any stock in the rumors surrounding Gonzalez. Unfortunately for us rumor fans, no one was really listening, because the rumors continued.

As they did throughout last week's winter meetings, rumors continue to swirl today about a potential trade between the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres.

The proposed swap would send San Diego's two-time All-Star first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, to Boston in exchange for what would presumably be a package of top prospects.

There was no question that interest in first baseman Adrian Gonzalez would come from all different sides, but there was a question about whether the Padres would or could trade him.

As the officials from every MLB team get ready to wrap up the annual winter meetings, there are still some rumors making their way around the hotel in Indianapolis.

For the past few days, there had been reports that the San Diego Padres were looking into trading closer Heath Bell and third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff.

The rumors surrounding Bell died just as quickly as they started, but the rumors surrounding Kouzmanoff stuck around late into last night. But, as of this morning, a deal didn't seem imminent.

With the Winter Meetings less than 48 hours away, the San Diego Padres will be looking to add a right handed bat as well as pitching depth.

Whether that comes by free agency or by trade is yet to be seen, but here are a few names that are being talked about.