The Yankees have made an offer to Gio Gonzalez. Here are some pros and cons to the left-hander.

Cons

Age

Gio Gonzalez is turning 34 in September. While age might not matter considering Gonzalez would be on a short term deal, probably 2 years max, age is still a factor. There is a higher risk of injury the older you get and the chance of decrease in production is incrreased.

Prior Injuries

Just last year when Gio Gonzalez was in the postseason he sustained an ankle injury in the NLCS. That injury took him out for the entire rest of the postseason. Also in 2015 he landed on the DL with a shoulder injury. While no one expects Gio to be a staple of the rotation for awhile where injuries can really hurt him the reasons the Yankees are interested in Gonzalez is because of the injuries to Luis Severino and CC Sabathia so having Gonzalez get hurt would be a big step back.

Late Signing

Opening Da s a solid 10 away and Gio Gonzalez hasn’t played a single spring training game. There will one hundred percent be some rustiness when it comes to Gonzalez. While it is likely he will do just fine it may take him a few starts to get into rhythm and get the feeling for his pitches. While last year J.D Martinez signed late and had an MVP caliber season he signed in late February so had some time to get ready. On the other hand Logan Forsythe had a season that wasn’t so great.

Pros

He’s Good

This one’s pretty simple. Gio Gonzalez is good at the throwing baseballs thing. While last year he struggled in Washington with the Nationals when he got traded to the Milwaukee Brewers he shined going 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA. Also in 2017 he threw a 2.96 ERA while going 15-9 in 32 starts.

Veteran Presence

While age can be a problem as already stated it can also be a good thing. Veteran leadership is never a bad thing even if it is for just one year. Look at the 2015 New York Mets. Michael Cuddyer while production wise wasn’t a big reason they were there he was leadership wise. Cuddyer was a fan favorite and then retired following that season.

Discount

With a signing coming this late you can get a real discount. Players get desperate when it gets this late so they will sign anything they can get especially with a contender like the Yankees. At the beginning of the offseason Gonzalez was probably not considering a 1-2 year deal but now it might be all he can get. Getting Gonzalez as a injury replacement for a discounted price can be an absolute steal.