What will the Padres do with Adrian Gonzalez?

On Wednesday, San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez won his second Gold Glove Award, though his conference call with reporters centered more on his future with the team more so than any 3-6-3 double play he started in 2009.

For the record, the Padres don’t have to
do anything with Gonzalez. He’s under contract for the next two years
and might be the biggest bargain in the game, as the team will pay him
$4.75 million in 2010 with a club option of $5.5 million for 2011.

Yes,
Gonzalez, whose value by Fangraphs for 2009 was rated as $28.4 million,
which was 10th best among all position players in the game, is a
immense value, which is why new Padres GM Jed Hoyer really doesn’t have
to do anything in regards to Gonzalez.

For now.

But Hoyer
told MLB.com on Wednesday that he’ll meet with Gonzalez’s agent, John
Boggs, sometime next week in San Diego. Both sides have said it will be
more of a meet-and-greet session and anything akin to an exchanging of
numbers.

But it stands to reason both sides will have at least a better idea of where the other stands after the meeting.

Are
the Padres interested in extending Gonzalez? Does he want to play this
current contract out and eventually become a free agent? Gonzalez said
that he wants to see what the team will do this off-season to improve
itself.

Gonzalez’s value has never been higher and if the Padres
believe they won’t be able to afford him at the end of this deal or
that they can’t make an extension happen, will they decide to move him
now, getting a package of prospects and/or Major League-ready talent
that can help them contend quicker in the National League West Division?

Stay tuned. This could get interesting.

– Corey Brock

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