If reports are true, free-agent southpaw Gio Gonzalez will join the New York Yankees in Tampa on a minor-league deal.
Apparently, Gio Gonzalez has reached his breaking point. Per a source of The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the lefty has agreed to a deal with the New York Yankees:
Sources confirm: #Yankees close to deal with free-agent left-hander Gio Gonzalez, as @JonHeyman reported. Per source, will be minor-league contract with $3M base if he is in majors. Includes out on April 20 and additional incentives based on games started.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 19, 2019
Other MLB insiders also spread their Twitter wings to confirm the signing:
Source confirms Gio Gonzalez close to minor league deal with Yankees. Will be $3M base salary if he makes the team. If he’s not added to the team by April 30, Gio can ask for his release.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 19, 2019
(Feinsand later tweeted that the correct opt-out date is in fact April 20.)
The #Yankees indeed are about to sign Gio Gonzalez to a Minor League deal. He’ll receive $3M if in the Majors, and can opt out on April 20. @feinsand with the details.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 19, 2019
Gonzalez is the proud owner of a 127-91 record and a commendable 3.69 ERA for his career. However, he’s 33 years old and coming off a subpar year, which explains his willingness to sign a team-friendly deal.
In 2018, Gonzalez posted a 10-11 record to go along with a 4.21 ERA (4.16 FIP) for the Washington Nationals and the Milwaukee Brewers. Furthermore, his SO/W ratio dipped to 1.85, a metric he’s regularly kept well above 2.00 since 2010.
[membership level="0"] [/membership]Still, he’s just one year removed from putting up a 15-9 record and a 2.96 ERA with Washington in 2017. The Yankees hope he can get close to that performance in 2019.
There’s certainly room for Gonzalez in the Bronx, since Luis Severino and CC Sabathia will both be out to start the year. Sabathia is expected back in mid-April, while Sevy could return in May.
But New York’s last spring game is on March 25, which leaves little time for their newest addition to prepare.
That means prospects Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Domingo German still have good reason to hope for a start or two in April.
With so little time to get Gonzalez ready, expect an official announcement of the signing to come soon.
