Adrian Gonzalez Trade Talks

Well they're already beginning.

Padres closer Heath Bell spoke to the Boston Herald about  his teammate Adrian Gonzalez, saying he would be a perfect fit in the Red Sox lineup.

"I think if he didn't have to be the main guy on one team, he'd be so much better than he is," Bell said. "He'd hit over .300, and he'd definitely hit 35 or 40 home runs because he'd have protection. It's amazing the things he's done with nobody hitting around him in San Diego. 

Despite not having much protection this season, Gonzalez still hit .277 with 40 home runs and 119 walks to 109 strike outs. 

While new Padres GM Jed Hoyer said he wants to re-sign Adrain Gonzalez long-term, the Padres do not have any legitimate minor league depth to help them down the road and do not have any players to move, besides Gonzalez, who could net a boatload of prospects.

While the Red Sox have been linked to the Padres and Gonzalez, they still need to figure out where they will play him. The Red Sox currently have Kevin Youkilis at first, Mike Lowell at third, and David Ortiz at DH. Trading Mike Lowell is an option, but he will make 12 million dollars in 2012 and could be hard to move.

Moving Youkilis to third and platooning Ortiz and Lowell seems like the most likely option at this point.

Who else could be in Adrian Gonzalez trade talks?

The Indians potentially could get involved. If they had a package around Grady Sizemore, landing the power-hitting first baseman would not only make that lineup a lot stronger, but give the Indians the option to move him for more prospects at the next deadline. At this point, highly unlikely, but we'll see how it plays out.

Other teams that could join in include the Angels, Rangers and Mets.