No Gonzo?

Reports are flying wild this afternoon on the internet that the Adrian Gonzalez deal between the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres has fallen through and will not be finalized. Jon Heyman reported that the 2 p.m. deadline for Boston to renegotiate an extension with the first baseman passed, and thus the deal won't go through. Gonzalez wanted 8 years, Boston wanted 6 years.

Now for my take. I'm not freaking out yet. I think this deal could very well still go through and it is very possible that panic is spreading like a wildfire for no reason. 2 p.m. was the tentative deadline for Boston to renegotiate an extension with Gonzalez -- not for them to announce anything. That's the first thing. Just because no extension was announced doesn't mean one hasn't been made. More significantly, though, the Padres could care less about the extension being signed between Boston and Gonzalez -- that has nothing to do with the actual specifics of the trade. Rather, it would be a case of Boston dropping the deal to avoid a 1-and-done contract with the slugger. But from a luxury tax standpoint in relation to the salary cap, the Sox would benefit from waiting until after Opening Day to sign Gonzalez to an extension. So keep your eyes peeled today, but I think there's a chance that the panic is unmerited and the deal will still go through without an immediate contract extension. Or maybe that's just me being optimistic.