Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Indians signed outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to a minor-league contract earlier this week. It's no secret the team is looking for outfield help and the 33-year-old fits the mold of what they need.
He's a relatively cheap, yet proven option that can contribute this season and help young players like Greg Allen, Jake Bauers, Tyler Naquin and Oscar Mercado develop. Mercado will start the season in Triple-A, but he's expected to join the Major League club at some point this year.
Unfortunately for the Indians, Gonzalez isn't going to be ready for the start of the regular season. Prior to this week, he hadn't faced Major League pitching since last October. The signing made sense, but why didn't it come sooner?
Gonzalez could’ve still been holding out for a Major League contract. He watched Adam Jones get signed less than two weeks prior. Maybe he thought a team would come calling with guaranteed money.
Even if that is the reason, does anyone doubt Gonzalez’s chances of contributing for the Indians this season? The three-time All-Star is a solid defender and still has some power in his bat. He hit 16 home runs and 64 RBI last season.
If the Indians signed Gonzalez two months ago, fans would’ve praised this move. They may have signed them later than you wanted, but now they can monitor his progress in the minors, before making a decision on his future with the organization. Gonzalez can opt out on April 20.
“We have a month to let him work into shape and that’s good,” manager Terry Francona said. “When we were talking to him, I know that was my biggest concern – were we going to have enough time to get him to be Carlos Gonzalez?”
The timing may be questionable, but they did add a proven veteran outfielder. Isn’t that what fans have been asking for all offseason long? No, he’s not Michael Brantley, but can he be 75-80 percent of the player Brantley was last season?
If Gonzalez works in Cleveland and helps this team win another division championship, then the Indians got a steal. This isn’t the Hanley Ramirez experiment where they’re taking a flier on a player who was out of baseball last season. CarGo thinks he has plenty of gas left in the tank.
I just turned 33 in October,” Gonzalez said. “I have a lot of time in the big leagues – almost 11 years, but I know I still can help any team out there reach their dreams and this is one of those places, as a free agent that you want to land.”
Gonzalez is adored in Colorado. The Rockies posted a video honoring him when he officially signed with the Indians:
To one of the greatest #Rockies of all time, THANK YOU @CarGo5! pic.twitter.com/CUpw82uTk2
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 19, 2019CarGo responded with a post on Instagram:
A post shared by Carlos González (@cargo5) on Mar 19, 2019 at 2:20pm PDT
That's the type of player and person the Indians are getting. The three-time Gold Glove winner brings experience, leadership and talent to an outfield that needed it.
The signing may not have happened when you wanted it to, but it got done, which means CarGo may be roaming in the outfield at Progressive Field this season.
