"Albert Pujols is a nine-time All-Star, a three-time National League MVP and the only player ever to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first 10 major league seasons — all of which gives him the muscle to seek a record contract as he approaches free agency next winter. When it comes to negotiating power, like so many more quantifiable statistics, Pujols is without peer. Adrian Gonzalez gets that. So when the All-Star first baseman was unable to agree on a long-term contract extension in December, a failure that threatened to capsize his trade to the Red Sox, Gonzalez vowed not to measure himself against Pujols. Instead, as he left the negotiating table in a Boston hotel room, he promised Sox general manager Theo Epstein that he would not raise his initial asking price, even if the St. Louis Cardinals had met Pujols' deadline last week by offering a contract extension that would have inflated the market. Having received Gonzalez' word, Epstein went ahead and completed the trade by sending three top prospects, including prized pitcher Casey Kelly, to the San Diego Padres in the first blockbuster move of the Red Sox' potentially transformative offseason. "We could have easily said, 'Nah, forget about (an extension). We're going to go back to San Diego and opt for free agency (after this season) and present ourselves to the highest bidder,' " John Boggs, Gonzalez' San Diego-based agent, told the Herald in a phone interview. "But what Adrian was looking for, the number that was important to him, was his bottom-line figure to where he could say, 'This is good for me, and now I get to play for a team I'm excited about playing for.' " That bottom-line figure is believed to be $154 million over seven seasons. Negotiations broke off in December and won't resume until next month, but Boggs, who has long-standing relationships with Epstein and Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, said the sides have "built a consensus of trust." Boggs wouldn't discuss whether Gonzalez is willing to continue negotiations during the season, but said he would be "surprised" if an agreement isn't reached shortly after Opening Day, a time frame that would allow the Red Sox to be sure Gonzalez' surgically repaired right shoulder is healthy and also would prevent his new salary from being counted toward their 2011 luxury tax." Read more: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view/2011_0220gonzalez_isntpujol_caling/
