Adrian Gonzalez went a thorough physical at Massachusetts General Hospital today. While the organization has not officially commented on the results, a team official (speaking on the condition of anonymity) said he passed.
Currently, the club, the player and his agent are sequestered in an effort to hammer out a contract extension…so while the Red Sox have not confirmed that he passed the physical, it seems unlikely they would be negotiating a contract extension if he had not.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the ballclub and Gonzalez have until 2:00 PM tomorrow to conclude negotiations on an extension. It is unclear whether the Red Sox would pull the plug on the trade if they are unable to get the first baseman’s name on an extension by that time.
That said, it seems unlikely the organization would come this far and then NOT get the contract done… especially in the aftermath of having botched the final stages of the Teixeira negotiations a couple of years ago.
From the perspective of the player, you have got to believe that he has incentive to get the deal done as soon as possible. While he will likely have no shortage of suitors in the off-season, the fact of the matter is that he just had shoulder surgery and it’s projected that he will not enjoy a full spring training.
He will get a late start, and it’s likely that it will take some time to regain strength in the joint. If he has an off-year, which is entirely possible, he may find that teams will be conservative in the years and money they offer next winter. Right now, he has a perennial contender that is eager to get him under contract. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush (or so they say).
It seems likely that a potential stumbling block in these negotiations will be a desire by the team to protect itself in the event the injury proves to be troublesome over the long term.
The Sox have secured favorable terms in recent contracts with players who have had some injury problems. They have shown a desire to limit the team’s financial exposure (i.e., Drew, Beckett, Lackey, etc) and it seems likely they will ask for similar protections in the Gonzalez deal.
It remains to be seen whether Gonzo and agent John Boggs would be receptive to such terms.
The team and the player are on the clock. Tick-tock.
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