The Red Sox figured they'd made arguably the addition of the offseason when they swung an Adrian Gonzalez trade with the Padres that brought the star first baseman to Massachusetts. However, Gonzalez is set to be a free agent at the end of the year, and the trade was contingent on the Red Sox being able to get Gonzalez signed to a contract extension. And according to Jon Heyman, they couldn't.
Adrian Gonzalez Trade To Red Sox Possibly Off As Contract Extension Can’t Be Reached
Gonzalez and the Red Sox had until 2pm ET Sunday afternoon to work out a new contract. This was considered a “soft” deadline, and Alex Speier reported that the two sides were still working right up to and through the limit, but nothing materialized. The 28-year-old Gonzalez was rumored to be seeking an eight-year contract, while the Red Sox were reluctant to go that long and wanted to keep things a few seasons shorter.
There had been reports that the Red Sox would be willing to swing the trade even if they couldn’t get Gonzalez signed, but, evidently, that wasn’t true. And so all of this action may have gone for naught. Ken Rosenthal reports that the Red Sox and Padres can still talk about the deal, and that only the contract negotiation window has closed. The trade isn’t yet completely dead. But the most likely scenario now is that Gonzalez returns to the Padres, where he may play out the season, while the Red Sox turn their attention to signing Jayson Werth and re-signing Adrian Beltre.
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