There has been less buzz around Gio Gonzalez this offseason and his desires as far as a contract is concerned aren’t entirely clear. With what we do know it’s safe to assume he’d be fine signing a shorter deal than Keuchel, and it’s also safe to assume that he’d be asking for less money. This would make him the more desirable option as a temporary option to cover for Severino.
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One thing Gonzalez would bring to the New York Yankees rotation that they desperately need is durability. Over the last nine season, Gonzalez has started 30+ games eight times; his addition to the team would give the rotation some assured consistency next to the older Sabathia and the oft-injured Paxton.
We also can’t forget that Gonzalez has looked like an elite pitcher as recently as 2017 when he had a 6.4 WAR season with the Washington Nationals. It’s hard to stand out when you’re pitching in the same rotation as Max Scherzer but Gonzalez managed to, finishing the season with a 2.96 ERA over 201 innings.
His 2018 wasn’t as impressive but things also didn’t totally drop off a cliff. In general, he’s one of baseball’s more underappreciated pitchers.
With all of this considered it’s much more likely that the Yankees sign Gonzalez than Keuchel. There’s no indication that Severino’s arm is so shot that they need a super long term solution, so signing Keuchel to a big 4+ year deal would be pretty hard to justify, especially after they decided to pay J.A. Happ in December.
Even if it does turn out that Severino will only miss a start or two Gonzalez would be a good get for the New York Yankees and would be more than capable as a fifth starter. This would give the team more flexibility should injuries come down the stretch (which isn’t unlikely), and would guarantee they aren’t put into a situation where they need to trade assets mid-season for a starter to ensure contention.