Red Sox trade for Adrian Gonzalez off, for now

Reports indicate that the proposed trade that would have sent Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox, contingent on agreeing to a contract extension today, is off. Both sides failed to come to an agreement after Gonzalez wanted eight years and the Red Sox were only willing to go to six.

To think both sides couldn't meet in the middle at seven is, as Casey Close puts it, baffling. Gonzalez is a marquee player who changes the lineup and the dynamic of the AL East, especially if Carl Crawford signs out of  the division.

With the Winter Meetings starting essentially tonight, this is the perfect stage for this deal to be renegotiated and struck. If it  goes through, with the extension included or not,  it puts pressure on the Yankees to make a move and sign a big name player. Signing Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter was a formality, and the front office did a fairly good job of keeping the negotiations from dragging on.

The Yankees could attempt to pursue both Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford, but both players will command plenty of interest this week.