Milwaukee Brewers: Should they pursue Gio Gonzalez?

With Spring Training right around the corner, the Milwaukee Brewers continue to tweak their roster, could free agent Gio Gonzalez be a late offseason addition?

For much of the offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers have been linked to two free agent starting pitchers in particular. The first is Dallas Keuchel, who would give Milwaukee a true ace in the rotation and the second is Gio Gonzalez, who played a significant role in the Brewers’ September playoff push last season.

The Milwaukee Brewers will already have the highest Opening Day payroll in team history and as of now, it is unknown if they are willing to give Keuchel the kind of contract that he has been looking for in free agency.

However, Gonzalez would be an addition that would give Milwaukee a veteran presence in the rotation and someone with playoff experience from his time in Washington. Also, the Milwaukee Brewers wouldn’t have to break the bank to land Gonzalez and can sign him to a short-term deal.

Why it makes sense to sign Gonzalez

For as much depth as the Milwaukee Brewers have amongst their starting pitching staff, one quality that they are lacking is a lefty.

As of now, the pitchers fighting for a spot in the starting rotation will be Jhoulys Chacin, Junior Guerra, Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, Zach Davies, Jimmy Nelson, Brandon Woodruff, and Chase Anderson, all of which are right-handers.

This is a concern for the Milwaukee Brewers and something that I anticipate they will address before the season begins, and Gonzalez could be a solid option.

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Overall Gonzalez’ 2018 season was a down one, but he is just one season removed from a fantastic 2017 campaign. During that season, Gonzalez pitched in over 200 innings, with a 2.96 ERA, a 1.179 WHIP and held his opponents to a .642 OPS.

When Gonzalez arrived in Milwaukee after the waiver trade deadline last season, the change of scenery revitalized him, as he ended up being a big contributor in the Brewers’ September push to catch the Chicago Cubs and win the NL Central.

Gonzalez made five starts in the month of September and the Milwaukee Brewers were winners in all of them, as he posted a 2.13 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.947.

Adding Gonzalez would also give the Milwaukee Brewers a pitcher that they know they can rely on to give them 150 plus innings pitched during the season. Over the course of his 11-year career, Gonzalez has been very durable, averaging nearly 165 innings each year.

While the Milwaukee Brewers have a number of alternatives when it comes to starting pitching, manager Craig Counsell has shown us that you can never have too many options available.

Reasons not to bring Gonzalez back

While there are plenty of good reasons that Gonzalez should be brought back for 2019, there are a few reasons it may not be worth signing the free agent.

Although he was able to salvage his 2018 season in Milwaukee, Gonzalez struggled for a majority of the year in Washington. As a Nat, Gonzalez posted a 4.57 ERA, with a 1.444 WHIP, in 145.2 innings pitched.

The biggest bugaboo for Gonzalez was the number of walks he gave up. In Washington, Gonzalez walked 70 batters and finished the season with 80, which ranked as the sixth most in all of baseball. A big reason for his success in Milwaukee was that he was able to limit the number of walks he gave up.

At 33 years old and entering his 12th season at the major league level, Gonzalez isn’t going to overpower hitters and relies heavily on his location to get strikes. We saw what happened last season to Gio’s numbers when his command was off.

Given the amount of depth the Milwaukee Brewers have at the starting pitcher position, you have to wonder how much of an impact a player of Gio Gonzalez’ ability would have on the team?

While adding a veteran left-hander to the rotation would be helpful, as a unit the starting rotation may not see a noticeable difference in performance with the addition of Gonzalez. Whereas adding a player like Dallas Keuchel would instantly make this team better. Gonzalez biggest contribution may be the additional depth he provides the rotation.

Regardless of whether or not the Milwaukee Brewers sign Gio Gonzalez, they have a very good starting rotation, but I would be quite surprised if general manager David Stearns is done adding to this roster.