GIO ADDED TO ROTATION MIX
Gio added to fold, giving Yanks plenty of arms to toss into back end of rotation
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Add veteran lefty Gino Gonzalez to the mix of candidates who might help the Yankees at some point this season.
Gonzalez, a free agent, and the Yankees agreed to a minor league deal Monday night that according to GM Brian Cashman was a verbal agreement that required minor details taken care of before it becomes official.
With staff ace Luis Severino starting the year on the injured list and CC Sabathia either being shelved or serving a fivegame suspension, the Yankees are looking for two starters to work behind Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ who will pitch the first three games of the season in that order.
Luis Cessa, Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga were battling for the other two spots until Monday evening when the 33year-old Gonzalez’s deal turned the competition into a four-arm race.
According to The Post’s Joel Sherman the deal calls for Gonzalez to make $3 million in the majors and includes an April 20 out date.
The $3 million is a long ways away from the $47 million Gonzalez earned his last four years with the Nationals. He made $12 million in each of the past three years.
“You always need more, always looking for ways to improve,’’ Cashman said. “My job is to find players to compete and help us win games. It’s the players’ job to know that’s my job, don’t let me find anybody better than you.’’
While Cashman doesn’t harbor expectations as to when Gonzalez might be ready to step into the Yankees’ rotation, he is far more experienced than Cessa, German and Loaisiga. In 11 big-league seasons Gonzalez is 127-97 with a 3.69 ERA in 313 games (307 starts). He is 0-0 with a 4.91 ERA in eight postseason games.
Looking at Gonzalez’s 2018 season, it’s hard to determine if he is better than Cessa, German or Loaisiga. He went 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA in 27 starts with the Nationals and was dealt in late August to Milwaukee where he went 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in five starts.
“Excited to get some depth and looking forward to getting him in here and seeing what we got,’’ said Aaron Boone, who intends to pick his father Bob’s brain about Gonzalez since the older Boone works for the Nationals. “You can never have enough pitching so I am looking forward to him getting him here and getting our hands on him.’’
Prior to the Gonzalez news, Boone talked about Cessa, German and Loaisiga competing for two spots.
“Obviously we have a lot of information on that. This final week will be among the conversations that we have in earnest on exactly how we approach that,’’ Boone said before Opening Day starter Tanaka helped the Yankees beat the Braves, 7-4, at Champion Stadium on Monday evening when he allowed a run, two hits and fanned seven in five innings. “How many pitchers do we carry? Do we have any of our potential starters as part of the bullpen? Those are conversations that we really ramp up but haven’t made a decision on that, exactly how we go.’’
Even though Gonzalez has been throwing to hitters in Miami while waiting to sign, he likely won’t be ready for bigleague work until the middle of April or later.
Figuring into the equation is Sabathia. The veteran lefty was handled carefully and slowly at the beginning of camp following right knee surgery last November and having a stent inserted into a blocked artery in December.
He worked a simulated game Saturday — his first — and threw a bullpen session Monday at GMS Field. Sabathia could start the year on the IL but there is a chance he could serve his five-game suspension at the start of the season and be available for the second turn through the rotation.
Boone said it was safe to assume he will carry 13 pitchers at the beginning of the season and noted there were times last year when there were a dozen hurlers on the 25-man roster and a day here and there when there were 14 but that left the bench light.