REPORT: San Diego Padres Have NOT Made an Offer to OF Carlos Gonzalez

This far into the offseason, the San Diego Padres have been quiet on the free agent front. As of January 5th the team has signed just pitchers Colten Brewer and Jordan Lyles to major league deals. Most of their moves have come in the form of trades.

Of course, this could be due to San Diego’s pursuit of Eric Hosmer. They don’t want to commit big money elsewhere if they know they’re going to sign the first baseman to a $140+ million deal.

With that being said, fans are desperate for the Hot Stove to begin heating up. They want to see where San Diego is headed in 2018. Padres’ fans began to feel that heat when they saw a report from ESPN Beisbol that said the Friars had offered outfielder Carlos Gonzalez a contract.

https://twitter.com/ESPN_Beisbol/status/948972258025967616

Gonzalez has been in the MLB for the past 10 seasons, spending all but one with the Colorado Rockies. Over 1,200 games he has hit, .288 with 215 home runs, 711 RBIs and 117 stolen bases. He is a three-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, a two-time Silver Slugger winner and the 2010 batting title champion.

To many Padres’ fans, the fit seemed a bit off. Sure he could play left field, but if the Padres are serious about Hosmer, why would they offer Cargo if Myers would play left? Sure he could play right field, but do the Padres really want to stunt Hunter Renfroe’s growth with an aging veteran?

There’s no doubt that Gonzalez is still a valuable player. Realistically he could end up being a steal for someone. He’s much cheaper than any top flight free agent available. However, Cargo to the Padres just didn’t seem to be a match.

Those speculations came to light when Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune confirmed that the Padres have not made a contract offer to Gonzalez when answering a question from a fan.

It’s weird seeing ESPN Beisbol put out a tweet without attributing the news to any source. Turns out their report on Cargo to the Padres is just a form of fake news.

The Hot Stove remains frigid as we enter January. Eventually it will need to pick up. But when that stove gets hot it won’t involve Carlos Gonzalez in a Padres’ uniform.

Next: Padres Offer For Cubs Javier Baez Revealed