A Tale of Two Adrians

So much for Adrian Gonzalez wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform.

The deal fell through today when Gonzalez and the Red Sox could not agree to a contract extension. Gonzalez wanted an eight year extension while the Sox were only willing to offer six years.

So for now Gonzalez remains a member of the San Diego Padres.

The Sox could still try to acquire Gonzalez this off season (perhaps during the Winter Meetings which commence tomorrow in Lake Buena Vista, Florida) and work on a contract extension at a later date. Or they could try to pursue Gonzalez after the 2011 season when he becomes a free agent. If Theo Epstein chooses the latter course of action he will likely renew efforts to re-sign third baseman Adrian Beltre.

The Red Sox off season has become a tale of two Adrians.

UPDATE: Well, now it's down to one Adrian. So Adrian Gonzalez will wear a Red Sox uniform after all. A contract extension beyond 2011 which had held up the trade will be tabled for the time being. So in the space of 36 hours, Kevin Youkilis went from first base to third base back to first and back again to third.