White Sox could possibly look to have a reunion with the pitcher that was traded twice from their organization as he would bring veteran experience to the team.
The White Sox originally drafted left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez with the 38th overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft. After just a year in the Sox farm system, Gonzalez was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 2005 season along with Aaron Rowand for Jim Thome.
Gonzalez would later return to the Sox organization the very next year when he was included in a trade from the Phillies along with Gavin Floyd in exchange for Freddy Garcia. Unfortunately, Gonzalez would never make his MLB debut in a White Sox uniform as he was again included in a trade, this time in January of 2008 to the Oakland Athletics in a deal for Nick Swisher.
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Gonzalez would later go on to have successful seasons as a member of the Athletics and later the Washington Nationals. Although he never pitched a season in a Sox uniform, Gonzalez could very well be a nice addition to the team for this season as a veteran left-handed starting pitcher.
Somewhat similar to Dallas Keuchel, who was mentioned as a potentially great addition to the Sox starting rotation, Gonzalez could also fill that role but for a shorter timeframe. At 33, Gonzalez would likely make sense on a one or two year deal with the Sox. However, his veteran experience would be valuable for a Sox rotation featuring many young pitchers in Carlos Rodon, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.
Last season, Gonzalez compiled a 10-11 record and a 4.21 ERA with a 1.444 WHIP through 32 total starts with the Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers. Gonzalez was traded to the Brewers at the end of August last year and started two games in the postseason. For his career, Gonzalez has a 127-97 record through 11 seasons with 3.69 career ERA.
Gonzalez would provide the Sox with another starter that can pitch 170 or more innings in a season. In 2018, Gonzalez pitched a total of 171 innings. Other than his first two seasons in the Majors, Gonzalez has pitched more than 160 innings in every season other than 2014.
At this point, the Sox could use another reliable starting pitcher. Whether that’s Kuechel or Gonzalez, the Sox starting rotation is still lacking another veteran. If Gonzalez is signed by the Sox, his addition to the rotation would be beneficial for the team’s success this season.