We are several days into the new season and there hasn’t been any word about Adrian Gonzalez signing an contract extension with the Boston Red Sox.  Many speculated that a deal (rumored to be in the range of seven-years for $154 million) would be signed after the season started to defer luxury taxes. It’s been over a week since we last heard from the parties involved.

Everything went really well,’’ Gonzalez’s agent John Boggs said about a recent meeting with the Red Sox. “What we’re on schedule to do is hopefully get something resolved at some point in April and move from there. Our meeting really consisted in catching up with them on particulars we left off in December and try to advance those. I’m sure we made pretty good strides there.”

The Red Sox have their first baseman under contract for 2011 at an affordable $5.5 million, but they wouldn’t have made a trade for him unless they knew they could keep him for the long-run.

At seven-years for $154 million it would come down to an average annual value of $22 million.  This is below the $25 million annual salary that Ryan Howard will be paid from 2012-2016.

Free agent-to-be Albert Pujols will also be keeping a close eye on Gonzalez’s deal since it will likely be used as leverage in his contract negotiations this Winter.