Adrian Gonzalez is reportedly close to officially becoming a member of the Boston Red Sox, despite the fact that the two sides have failed to reach a contract extension.
MSNBC.com and Fanhouse.com were the first to report this, about 30 minutes ago.
This comes after reports had surfaced that the Gonzalez deal was getting the nix, because the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a new deal.
It’s very possible that the Sox used the 2 p.m. window allotted by Major League Baseball as an opportunity to sit down and get a concrete idea of what Gonzalez is looking for before making the deal official.
It’s important to note that the Sox would stand to save a significant amount of money on the MLB luxury tax if they wait until after opening day 2011 to announce a contract extension, ala Josh Beckett last year.
No official word yet from the Boston brass.
UPDATE: 8:48 p.m. – ESPN is confirming the story. The Padres are receiving P Casey Kelly, 1B Anthony Rizzo, OF Raymond Fuentes, and a player to be named later, as was earlier reported.
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