It depends on how much Dunn ends up signing for, how much Gonzalez wants in an extension and how big of a gut-punch trading for him is to the system. If Dunn really wants to be in Chicago and shows it by signing a 2/20 deal with a team option for a third year and the Padres demand Castro, Colvin, Archer and McNutt for Gonzo, then Dunn's a much better option. But if the Padres fall in love with a package of Colvin, J Jackson, Marmol and Bibens-Dirx and Dunn demands no less than 4/60 to sign, then Gonzo is the better option. None of those scenarios are likely to happen, it mainly depends on what middle ground between those scenarios actually is the case. Keep in mind, if we traded for Gonzo and gave him a 6/120 deal, he'll be 34 when the contract runs out. If we give Dunn a 3/36 deal, he'll be 34 when the contract runs out. The biggest difference there, however, is we know we're getting a couple of the best years of Gonzalez in that trade, while we don't know that for sure with Dunn. Also, we'd lose prospects getting Gonzo, but we'd also have him, say, through 2016, whereas with Dunn, we'll have him for 3 years and then have to find somebody else from 2014 to 2016. That could be a farmhand or it could be another FA if we haven't developed a first baseman by then. You'd then have to add on the cost of the player to fill those three years to truly compare to Gonzalez's six year deal.