If you ask any San Diego Padre fan on the streets of San Diego, most would tell you they don't want to see the last of their fan favorites leave their city. They don't want the team to trade an All-Star, their leading offensive player, and a Gold Glove first baseman.
But, the San Diego Padres may not have much of a choice but to do just that, especially if that aforementioned first baseman is looking for the kind of money that one Mark Teixeira got from the Yankees. I'm speaking of course about long time Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
After the Padres couldn't re-sign long-time closer Trevor Hoffman, he ended up in Milwaukee doing just as well as if he were in his prime. In 55 appearances, Hoffman saved 37 games and finished the 2009 season with a 1.83 ERA, his lowest since his 1.48 ERA in 1998, the year the Padres went to the World Series.
Almost a year later, it was another fan favorite in Jake Peavy that was shown the door as he was surprisingly traded to the Chicago White Sox prior to the trade deadline. Unfortunately for Peavy, his tenure with the Sox hasn't gone as planned.
Through two starts this season, Peavy has given up 10 earned runs, including seven earned in his very first start against Toronto.
With both Hoffman and Peavy wearing another uniform as the 2010 season gets underway, another fan favorite has been rumored to be on his way out before the trade deadline at the end of July.
There were rumors abound surrounding Adrian Gonzalez through the entire offseason, there were even a few deals that almost went through had it not been for a player or two not being included and it was a deal-breaker.
For now, Adrian remains a member of the San Diego Padres but for how long remains the biggest question that hangs over not only him but the Padres' front office. Most fans will tell you that they want this front office to find a way to keep him in a Padres uniform. Problem with that is, the Padres can't afford the kind of money Gonzalez is going to be looking for.
While it's not the popular decision, would you trade him and get as many top prospects in return or let his contract run up and get nothing at all? If you're asking me, if you know for sure that you don't have the money to sign him, you make the move and get what you can.
The next question in a long series of questions is how many teams will be interested and who will be the front runners to a deal?
Most of us know the Boston Red Sox will probably be the first in line to try and land the first baseman as they were the ones that nearly landed before the season began. What kept a deal from happening is not wanting to part with both Clay Buchholz and Dustin Pedroia.
Some say that's too high a price to pay but if you're asking me, you're getting a 35-40 home run guy who hits for close to or better than a .300 batting average, and you're getting Gold Glove defense. The Padres aren't going to take a few mid-level prospects in return for all that. You have to give something to get something.
Another team that could get into the running are the Texas Rangers. Might be a surprise to some but if you think about it, it's not really that much of a stretch. They have an up and coming prospect that the Padres could have a lot of interest in, a young kid by the name of Justin Smoak.
Smoak, while with the Double-A Frisco Roughriders, he hit .328 with a .449 on base percentage. He was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City and struggled through his last 54 games, hitting .244 with a .363 on-base percentage.
Regardless of his numbers, he's still the Rangers' top prospect. If the Rangers want Gonzalez, they will have to consider parting with Smoak, not to mention a few prospects on the pitching side.
Though there may be talk of other teams being interested in Gonzalez and, really, who wouldn't be? But for my money, these are the two teams that will be on the top of the list and for good reason.
What will make the deal happen is either team being willing to part with what they'll need to part with. If they want Gonzalez, they need to give up talent that will make up for the loss the Padres will incur.
In closing, for those Padre fans that are tired of seeing the best players walk out the door, it's something you're going to have to get used to. They're not going to apologize for bringing in players that become all-stars because they didn't know what Gonzalez or Chris Young would become when they landed both players from the Rangers a few years ago.
Players that become what Adrian has become will ask for more money than the Padres can afford. Look what happened to the Rangers when they handed out contracts to Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, two contracts the team couldn't afford to give out but they did it anyway.
Think about this realistically. Do you really want to handcuff the franchise and put all your eggs in one player's basket?
I wouldn't, and neither will the Padres.
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