Oakland Athletics: Could a reunion with Gio Gonzalez be in the works?

Former Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez has decided to opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees and could find his way back to the Bay Area before long.

The Oakland Athletics have gotten off to an underwhelming start thus far in 2019 but most of their early struggles have come as a result of their lackluster starting rotation. At the time of writing, the A’s starters have combined for a poor 5.19 ERA which ranks 23rd in the MLB.

However, none of this should come as a surprise.

The Athletics rotation was considered the team’s biggest weakness heading into the season and the poor play of the team’s offseason acquisitions hasn’t helped matters. Free agent signing Mike Fiers has struggled mightily posting an 8.28 ERA through his first six starts in Oakland. Fellow signee Marco Estrada currently hosts a 6.85 ERA through five starts and has recently now found himself on the 10-day injured list.

The rotation has been held down by the likes of Brett Anderson and Frankie Montas who have impressed in a limited sample size so far, but overall it still remains the biggest weakness on the team.

Fortunately, the A’s could be in line to acquire some help if they play their cards right.

Former Athletics starter Gio Gonzalez recently opted out of his contract with the New York Yankees putting the two-time All-Star in a bit of an interesting position. The Yankees will have 48 hours to decide whether they want to add him to their 25-man roster or simply release him.

If reports and rumors are to be believed, expect the latter to happen.

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If Gonzalez once again finds himself on the open market, expect there to be much more interest in him than before. Now nearly a month into the season, many teams have already suffered injuries or have just been victims of disappointing play from their starting rotation.

The A’s could fall under both of those categories making them ideal potential landing spots for Gonzalez.

The team did just re-sign veteran Edwin Jackson to a minor league deal, but he remains entrenched in the minors for the time being. And there’s still no set timetable for the returns of Jharel Cotton, Sean Manaea, and A.J. Puk.

That leaves the A’s desperate for another starter and Gonzalez could be just the guy to fix their woes.

Gonzalez is fresh off a 2018 season split between the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers where he recorded an acceptable 4.21 ERA in 32 starts. The year prior, however, Gonzalez finished with a spectacular 2.96 ERA in the same amount of starts playing exclusively with the Nationals.

It’s clear that Gonzalez still has plenty left in the tank and at age 33, it’s reasonable to expect some solid play if he were to rejoin the team. He could step in and immediately be a replacement for the struggling Aaron Brooks or fill in for the injured Estrada for the time being.

A potential reunion tour would have all the makings of a feel-good story as well as be an excellent boost for a laboring A’s rotation.

It’s time to get the band back together and it’s time to bring Gio Gonzalez back to Oakland.