The New York Yankees are said to be considering free agent left-hander Gio Gonzalez as a fill-in for Luis Severino and/or CC Sabathia.
With Luis Severino expected to miss at least the regular season’s first month, the New York Yankees are casting eyes on the still-smoldering free agent market for help.
Severino, a 19-game winner for the Yankees in 2018, is sidelined until at least May with right rotator cuff inflammation. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted Saturday that the Yanks are exploring whether it makes sense to sign free agent left-hander Gio Gonzalez.
Yanks maintain some interest in Gio Gonzalez, no surprise considering rotation questions. No word that anything’s close yet, though.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 15, 2019
However, There is no indication, however, that a deal may be close.
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The status of the Yankees pitching staff is uncertain both because Severino is sidelined and also due to lingering concern about veteran C.C. Sabathia. The 38-year-old left-hander is still recuperating after knee surgery last October, followed by an angioplasty in December.
There are several available free agent starters, including Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel. But since Keuchel is believed to be looking at a multi-year arrangement, Gonzalez is seen as the more likely short-term solution.
Gonzalez, 33, was 10-11 in 32 starts for the Nationals and Brewers in 2018, producing a 4.21 ERA. He is also an 11-year veteran with a 127-97 career record and 3.69 ERA.
In his best season, Gonzalez went 21-8 with the Nationals in 2012. However, for his career, he’s been a consistent winner. In fact, last year was the first losing season of his career since 2009.
He’s also been a workhorse, delivering 31 starts or more annually since 2015.
General manager Brian Cashman said earlier this month that New York would first look in-house at filling Severino’s slots. At the time, however, it was not anticipated that Severino might be out for a month or more.
Despite the addition of James Paxton and the re-signing of J.A. Happ, there is concern about the depth and stability of New York’s rotation. Paxton has been injury-plagued and has never exceeded the 160 innings he pitched last season.
Like Sabathia, Happ is a veteran, but at age 36 there are concerns about his durability across the breadth of a full season.
The other starting options are returnees Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Cessa. But Cessa has only 10 major league starts under his belt, five of them last year. The team’s other in-house options, Domingo German, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Chance Adams, are all untested.