Trade Adrian Gonzalez? Only if the Padres are the West Coast version of the Pirates

Wow. The Mr. Sports network of high-speed information hears the Padres really would move first baseman Adrian Gonzalez if the right offer were to emerge.

And I’ll tell you exactly what it means if they do move Gonzalez: That they have officially become the Pittsburgh Pirates of the West Coast (i.e., a franchise not committed to winning or retaining good players).

Gonzalez, who just played in his second consecutive All-Star game, is currently the biggest bargain in major-league baseball. He’s making just $3 million this season while putting up numbers worthy of a player who should he making four times that amount. Not only is he a bargain now, but the player with 28 home runs before July ends is set to make just $4.75 million in 2010 with the club holding a $5.5 million club option in 2011.

So even talking of moving a player with that friendly of a contract who is entering the prime of his career (he just turned 27) and is a native of the area just adds to the perception that the Padres aren’t  committed to winning. Seeing that penny-pinching outgoing owner John Moores and incoming owner Jeff Moorad share the first four letters of their respective last names tells me to expect MOOR of the same cheapness and lack of commitment in years to come.

The talk of moving ace pitcher Jake Peavy was sad but in Peavy’s case, you could understand that the back end of his contract truly isn’t something the sad-sack Padres will be able to afford down the line (see those empty seats at Petco when winning isn’t a priority?) But Gonzalez’s contract tells a different story — that if the franchise moves a bargain contract like his, it really is close to becoming the West Coast version of the Pirates.

Or to put it bluntly — a complete laughingstock.

Gonzalez is about to become the first player in the club’s woeful history to hit 30 homers in three different seasons. He’s on pace to join Greg Vaughn (50 in 1998), Phil Nevin (41 in 2001) and Ken Caminiti (40 in 1996) as the only Padres to hit 40 homers in a season.

He’s a good citizen and well-respected in the community. He could become a Tony Gwynn-like figure over the next decade if only the Padres were committed to being a respectable team.

But the Padres aren’t committed and it’s already clear Gonzalez will be playing elsewhere when 2012 rolls around. But there’s no reason to trade him in 2009 when he’s making just $3 million a year.

Well, there is one reason to trade him — if you are officially becoming the Pittsburgh Pirates of the West Coast.