Red Sox Nation may be very curious how the Adrian Gonzalez trade came about so quickly. Here at OTM, we never rest on our laurels, so we did our own background check as for what brought everything together in just a matter of days, particularly with multiple other trade talks ongoing.
Our results were shocking: it looks like the trade for Gonzalez, the unquestioned star of the San Diego Padres and one of the best hitters in all of baseball, may have been an accident.
Theo Epstein, Red Sox general manager, spoke briefly with reporters this morning.
Q: How did the trade come about so suddenly.
A: It's a funny thing, actually.
I was sitting at home watching a movie with my son, Jack. Since the holidays—as well as his birthday—are approaching, I asked him if there was anything he wanted as a present. As soon as I asked, he turned to me and said, "I want Gonzo!" So, being in baseball, I assumed that he meant that he wanted Adrian Gonzalez. So that led me to go out and sign him. Giving up good prospects like Casey Kelly and Anthony Rizzo is always tough, but you've got to keep your family happy, right?
Well, you can imagine my surprise when Jack started crying when I told him the news. Here I was, thinking I had been the greatest dad ever, and instead he's bawling. I ask him what's wrong. Then he tells me, "I want Gonzo, not A-Gon!" Turns out we were watching Muppet Treasure Island at the time, and what he wanted was a Gonzo doll, not Adrian Gonzalez.
My mistake. I'm just glad he didn't ask for a cheetah; we might have ended up signing Derek Jeter instead!