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Sources: Adrian Gonzalez to Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a deal in principle to acquire slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez,
sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Saturday morning.

The Red Sox have received permission from Major League Baseball to negotiate with Gonzalez on a
new contract, the sources said, and Gonzalez's physical examination, one of the last hurdles to the deal,
could happen Saturday. The team already has flown in Gonzalez, who had surgery Oct. 20 on his right,
non-throwing shoulder to clean up the labrum.

In exchange, the Padres would receive three prospects in pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo
and outfielder Reymond Fuentes, according to a baseball source.

Sources told Olney it's very possible the Gonzalez deal would mean the end of Adrian Beltre's time with the Red Sox,
because although Kevin Youkilis could move to left field, Boston's preference probably would be to shift Youkilis
to third base.

The Boston Red Sox have scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. ET on Monday to announce they have completed a deal with the San Diego Padres for All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, a baseball source said. But it will happen without a long-term deal for Gonzalez, after talks broke off Sunday with no agreement in place.

The source said that the two sides have left open the possibility of continued discussions toward a long-term deal for Gonzalez after the trade is in place.

A source said that while Gonzalez is seeking a contract in the range of Mark Teixeira's eight-year, $180 million deal with the New York Yankees, the Red Sox have been holding the line at six years and $120 million. The Red Sox, multiple sources told ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes, also were looking for language in the contract to protect them in case Gonzalez had problems with his surgically repaired right shoulder, much like they did with J.D. Drew.

Source: Red Sox to ink Carl Crawford

Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona called left fielder Carl Crawford a game-changer. Turns out he might have been guilty of understatement.

Between the multitalented Crawford, who a source confirmed came to terms Wednesday night on a seven-year, $142 million deal, and slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, acquired by trade last weekend from San Diego and in line for his own seven-year deal for an estimated $154 million, the Red Sox appear set for the next decade.

"Adrian already heard about Carl," Gonzalez's agent, John Boggs, e-mailed Wednesday night. "He's very happy."

A team that has often complained about the spending habits of the New York Yankees, who two years ago swooped in and outbid Boston for Mark Teixeira, has abandoned fiscal restraint by making Crawford the first player in Red Sox history with a contract with an average annual value in excess of $20 million.

"Great move. Great player," said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, for whom signing free-agent left-hander Cliff Lee now takes on even greater urgency. "Boston's got the money and they had a need."

Crawford also becomes the first Red Sox player since John W. Henry and Tom Werner purchased the team in 2002 to be given a contract of seven years. General manager Theo Epstein evidently made a persuasive case to Henry late in the process to do so.

Source: Red Sox to sign Bobby Jenks

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein made a bold move to upgrade his bullpen while managing to avoid giving out a three-year deal to a reliever, a notion he detested.

While setup men continued to receive three-year contracts, including two right-handers on the Red Sox's radar screen, Matt Guerrier (Dodgers) and Jesse Crain (White Sox), Epstein swooped in and reportedly agreed to a contract with Bobby Jenks, who had served as White Sox closer since bursting onto the scene as a rookie sensation in 2005 but was nontendered earlier this month by Chicago.

The deal for Jenks, as first reported by ESPN's Buster Olney, is for two years and $12 million, pending a physical, and gives the Red Sox a power arm to go along with Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard. Jenks, according to Olney, will also be given a chance to compete to be Red Sox closer after next season, when Papelbon is eligible for free agency, though Bard still figures as the odds-on favorite for the job if Papelbon moves on.

RHP Dan Wheeler signs with Red Sox

The Great Bullpen Reconstruction continued Saturday, with the Red Sox announcing a deal
with another veteran setup man, right-hander Dan Wheeler.

Wheeler, one of the reliable pieces Joe Maddon employed in Tampa Bay for the past three years
who is averaging 68 appearances per season, is leaving the Rays to return to his native New England.

Wheeler, a native of Warwick, R.I. (he was selected by the Rays out of Pilgrim High School in the
34th round of the 1997 draft), signed a one-year deal with an option for a second year that vests
if he makes 65 appearances.

Last season, Wheeler was 2-4 with a 3.35 ERA for the Rays. He pitched in the eighth inning in the
majority of his 64 appearances last season, though he also pitched 22 times in the sixth and seventh
innings. He is expected to be used more as a sixth- and seventh-inning man by the Red Sox.