FILE PHOTO: Aug 29, 2018; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (47) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
September 1, 2018
The Milwaukee Brewers are set to acquire left-hander Gio Gonzalez from the Washington Nationals, according to multiple reports Friday.
Washington will receive two unnamed minor-leaguers in the deal, according to MLB.com. Gonzalez won’t have far to go, as the Nationals are hosting the Brewers for a three-game series this weekend.
The reported deal is the second of the day for the Brewers, who earlier announced the acquisition of left-handed reliever Xavier Cedeno from the Chicago White Sox for two minor-leaguers. The Nationals also made another trade earlier in the day, sending right-hander reliever Ryan Madson to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Friday is the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man rosters and have them be postseason-eligible.
Gonzalez, 32, has mostly struggled this season, going 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA in 27 starts. He was 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA in August and has struggled in his career at Miller Park (6.75 ERA in five starts).
Gonzalez was 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 32 starts last season.
Gonzalez also enjoyed great success in 2012, when he went 21-8 with a 2.89 ERA and finished third in the National League Cy Young Award voting. The two-time All-Star has a 3.71 ERA for his 11-year major league career spent with the Nationals (2012-18) and Oakland Athletics (2008-11).
The southpaw has roughly $2 million still due on his $12 million salary this season, the final year of a five-year, $42 million contract.
Cedeno, meanwhile, is 2-0 with one save and a 2.84 ERA in 33 appearances this season.
Chicago received outfielder Bryan Connell and right-hander Johan Dominguez in return for the 32-year-old Cedeno, who is 10-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 234 career relief appearances with the Houston Astros, Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays and White Sox.
The White Sox purchased the contract of right-hander Ian Hamilton from Triple-A Charlotte to fill the roster opening. Hamilton, 23, was 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA and 22 saves in 43 appearances this year between Double-A Birmingham and Charlotte.
Connell, 19, batted .239 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 48 games across two levels of the Milwaukee farm system this season.
Dominguez, 22, is 3-0 with two saves and an 0.82 ERA in 23 relief appearances at three different minor league destinations in 2018.
–Field Level Media
