Major League Baseball

Padres: Gonzo trade not a sign of giving up on '11

Published Dec. 7, 2010 3:25 a.m. ET

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Trading All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to Boston for three top prospects was the right move for the long-term health of the franchise, San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer and co-owner Jeff Moorad said Monday.

Hoyer said it wasn't an easy decision to part with Gonzalez, who grew up in the San Diego area and had become the face of the franchise. ''It doesn't even necessarily feel good,'' Hoyer said during a news conference at the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla.

''I just want to be clear. This is not the start of a fire sale. This is not us giving up on 2011 at all,'' Hoyer said. ''This is a difficult decision that was made because Adrian Gonzalez was going to leave at the end of the year. Because, in theory, the price that we could get back from him would drop so precipitously, potentially in-season or at the end of the season.''

The Red Sox parted with three minor leaguers and a player to be determined. The prospects are right-hander Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and outfielder Reymond Fuentes.

''I had one GM tell me, 'It looks like you cut the head off of the Boston farm system,''' Moorad told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Moorad says he understands that some fans are upset.

''I would caution fans not to overreact,'' Moorad said. ''I understand the emotions of the fans. That's what makes San Diego special.''

He said his ownership group, which began the process of buying the team from John Moores before the 2009 season, remains committed to building a competitive club with a mix of veterans and young players it can control.

The Padres, who have a long history of moving star players due to financial reasons, have realized for some time that it wouldn't be able to pay Gonzalez the kind of money he'd fetch on the free-agent market after his contract expired at the end of 2011.

Moorad said it wouldn't make sense for a team such as the Padres to have one player eating up the bulk of the payroll with a salary of perhaps $20 million or so.

The Padres went 90-72 in 2010 despite opening the season with a payroll of $37.8 million, second-lowest in the majors. Despite a late-season stumble, San Diego was in contention until the final day, when its loss at San Francisco, coupled with Atlanta's win over Philadelphia, eliminated the Padres from the NL West and wild-card races.

Moorad anticipates an opening-day payroll of between $42 million and $45 million.

Hoyer still has plenty of work to do. Because Rizzo could be two years away from reaching the big leagues, the Padres need to get a first baseman. Among the free-agent possibilities are Troy Glaus, who went to high school in San Diego County; Derrek Lee, who played 22 games with the Padres as a rookie in 1997 before being sent to Florida as part of the deal for Kevin Brown; or Adam LaRoche.

San Diego's Kyle Blanks, a first baseman who had been switched to left field to give him playing time, had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in late July and is expected to be sidelined until perhaps midseason.

Hoyer also must sign a second baseman and shortstop.

''I don't know that it's going to be difficult, but it's going to be a challenge,'' Bud Black, the NL Manager of the Year, said about filling out the roster. ''We are up for it. Every club has unique challenges, and decisions are made based on those challenges.

''Again, there were not a lot of expectations and we found a way to play good baseball, and that will be the same case again next year,'' Black said. ''You know, trades happen in this game. Players move. New faces come in. We feel as though we are going to have some talent again in our group.''

The Padres finalized a $4 million deal for right-hander Aaron Harang on Monday. Earlier this offseason, they acquired center fielder Cameron Maybin from Florida.

Hoyer said the Padres knew the day was coming when Gonzalez would be gone.

''People can talk about whether we should have brought him to the season or you could always trade him in a deadline or just take draft picks,'' Hoyer said. ''In our mind, the risk associated with that, it simply wasn't worth it. We have to make this kind of move and get the prospects. If we don't, we could look back later on and feel like we really sold our future short.''

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