Christmas has not come early for Boston Red Sox fans — yet. Boston reportedly could not reach a long-term extension with Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez during the allotted negotiating period, and as a result the trade has not been finalized. Sound familiar? Sox fans were convinced their team had reached a deal with Mark Teixeira two years ago, only to have the Yankees swoop in at the last second. Earlier in the decade, it looked as though Boston had a deal in place to acquire Alex Rodriguez until the MLB supposedly wouldn’t allow the restructuring of A-Rod’s contract that would have had to take place.
The deal is not completely done, however. The fact that a trade was in place means the Padres and Red Sox agreed on some sort of exchange, but Gonzalez and his agent could not agree with Boston management on the financial terms of an extension. A deal could still be hammered out down the road, but the Sox are dangerously close to a public relations disaster.
Having recently purchased a European soccer team, John Henry and the Red Sox ownership can not afford to give fans the impression that they are afraid to open the checkbook an opportunity presents itself. Red Sox players have even chimed in on the deal and there has been an obvious level of excitement surrounding the team since the trade was revealed.
My gut feeling is that this thing will get done at some point, but the Red Sox are definitely playing with fire. Gonzalez is reportedly seeking an eight-year deal, but considering he’s only 28 years old that should not come as a surprise to the Sox brass. If the deal falls through completely, Henry and company will be dealing with an extremely disgruntled fan base.
