Hardball Talk notes that neither the Padres nor Adrian Gonzalez’s agent believe they can keep the slugger in San Diego. This is going start arguments, of course, about when the Padres should trade Adrian. Will they get more now, when Gonzalez can impact a team for a season, or wait until the trade deadline when teams are desperate?

Since Kevin Youkilis is working out at third base, and the Rays are losing Carlos Pena to free agency, the Padres could get both those teams bidding against each other. I suspect the discussion of when to trade will go something like this.

Of course, there is the possibility that the Padres build on their 2010 success and compete for a championship with Adrian at first. This decision would be easier if Kyle Blanks hadn’t blown out his elbow. He would have a year of major league hitting under his belt and could take over at first. Also, Gonzalez underwent shoulder surgery, so teams might want to wait to see if the shoulder is actually healthy. Lots of factors keeps this situation from being clear cut.