BOSTONAs more time passes from this years July 31 trade deadline, it appears the Red Sox were indeed contemplating some big moves.
None bigger than listening to overtures from the Los Angeles Dodgers and their interest in first basemen Adrian Gonzalez, as reports from the Boston Globe indicated over the weekend.
That would seem like a major reversal in commitment from a Sox team that inked Gonzalez to a seven-year deal for 154 million through 2018, and of course the potential blockbuster deal went nowhere. Nobody is quite sure of what Dodgers players were potentially involved, and Gonzalez has picked things up in a major way in the second half of the season.
The Sox first basemen also claimed he didnt know anything about it.
No. Nobody says anything about that to the players, said Gonzalez. Teams are going to ask about any player they think would help their team win. If a team is interested and they feel like you could help, then theyre going to call Boston about it.
Obviously Im here, Im happy to be here and I dont want to go anywhere. But its not my decision to make.
Gonzalez is hitting .392 with five home runs and 21 RBIs since the All-Star break, and knocked in three runs to lead the Sox to a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon.
Boston Red Sox
But Gonzalez knows that despite all of this he could have been traded just like anybody else. Thats just the reality of baseball and something he knows very will after being traded away in the past.
Ive been traded three times now. I know what rumors are all about. Teams are going to call in and check on players, said Gonzalez. I know how the business side of baseball works.
Gonzalez has never been traded, however, after making such a significant commitment to a team like he was with the Red Soxand with the city of Boston. That could change any professional athletes perception when they start hearing their name bandied about in the rumor mill, but Gonzalezs big day on Sunday would seem to indicate his Sox priorities are strictly in line.