Justen wrote:

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Source says Gonzalez wants a "Howard-like contract." 

@jonmorosi

Howard's contract (per Cot's):

 5 years/$125M (2012-16), plus 2017 option

12:$20M, 13:$20M, 14:$25M, 15:$25M, 16:$25M, 17:$23M club option ($10M buyout)

limited no-trade clause

If that's the case, then this deal is over the top. Gonzalez is easily worth that. What I wrote in a post last evening was echoed by Spier but with even more detail. The numbers away from Petco show clearly that Adrian Gonzalez is spectacularly good and, at 28, in his prime. And yes, he's an even better hitter than Teixeira, behind only Pujols in the NL.

The only thing I'd quibble with is the automatic assumption that Scutaro should get the SS job. Lowrie has proven that he's not just better than Scutaro, but a better hitter than just about every shortstop in the AL. He should get a shot at it. That puts two .950 OPS guys at the corner, and two .850 guys in the middle infield. There's nothing like that on any other team in the major leagues. It also gives you an additional switch hitter in the lineup. That kind of hitting from the infield gives you a base to do pretty much what you want at a lot of other positions like catcher - letting Salty get a shot. I think any additional acquisitions will be predicated on how they see their options evolving from here on out.

My preference would be Werth in left on a three year deal, perhaps with an option beyond that. He really helps keep other teams honest as he kills left-handers. I really love the energy that Crawford brings, he just burns to play and win. But I have questions on whether he holds his value 7 years into the future. Last year was the first time his OPS made it to .850. His speed adds a lot to that value, but if he loses even a bit of that - something that's easy to imagine over the course of seven years - it's hard to justify a corner outfield position for him.

All-in-all, the Sox are really playing with a stacked deck. This is what a rich farm system does for you. Going forward, they could bundle Ellsbury and Scutaro, or trade them separately. They could decide to keep one or both. They have outfield options with Kalish and even Reddick as a fourth. I don't think we've seen the end of the wheeling and dealing, but the beginning sure looks good.