An article by Nick Cafardo in Boston states that the Padres have offered Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox for:

1.  RHP Clay Buchholz

2.  RHP Casey Kelly or OF Ryan Westmoreland (Sox' choice)

And that the deal is not going through, because Kelly and Westmoreland are both untouchable in a Gonzalez deal.

To which we can confidently respond, "huh?"

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It really does look like, with the glut of FA's available, the trade market has swung way over towards valuing prospects.  I mean, during the season, the Yankees protected four young players and then told the M's "pick five!" for Felix.

Buchholz is not at all unlike Brandon Morrow:  sterling pedigree; has shown only flashes in the bigs.  (Buchholz has a lifetime ERA+ 95 in the majors, about 200 innings.)

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Kelly is a former #30 overall who, remarkably, did not decide between SS and SP until just last week.  He picked pitching.

So Kelly is now a Mussina-template pro pitcher with a grand total of 90 innings in class A baseball; his next inning in the high minors will be his first, though he did pitch in the '09 Futures Game.

You'll have to ask G and J whether they would trade Michael Pineda for Casey Kelly the pitcher.

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Ryan Westmoreland is a 5th-round draftee out of high school, who has played one year in the pros -- low class A.  He hit a lefty 300/400/500 with a 0.80 EYE and was 19-for-19 stealing bases.

He looks super for a 20-year-old.  He is also only 20.  It's not like he's ARod; he fell to the 5th round of the draft just a year before.  He's a kid who played really well, 5 tools, in low class A right out of high school.

Presumably he'd be a pretty good comp for Carlos Triunfel.  

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Supposing you don't think that Brandon Morrow and Carlos Triunfel match up to Buccholz and Westmoreland.   Is there anybody who wouldn't give the Padres Morrow, Triunfel, and another glam prospect for Adrian Gonzalez?

We keep hearing, no way do the M's have the pieces to bid for Gonzalez.  Honestly, can somebody explain that to me?  Buchholz and Kelly/Westmoreland are the ask, and the M's can't put together a package like that?  Morrow, Triunfel, Tuiasosopo, Saunders, Pineda, Halman, and the M's wouldn't be able to find 3-4 of them to bid with?  :- )

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Oh, well.  It's just a rumor.  The same article says that the Mariners and Mets may be the other two teams in on Gonzalez.

Here are our two previous posts on Gonzalez, if you don't have much else to read this morning.   His 160-odd OPS+ was suppressed by his home park; he hit 28 homers on the road.