Adrian Gonzalez has signed a one-year contract with the Mets. Gonzalez comes from the Atlanta Braves where he was quickly released by the organization. Atlanta still owes Gonzalez $21.5 million, of which the Mets will only pay $545,000. The 35 year old has already joined The Metropolitans.
Acts I Trough IV
Texas Rangers/San Diego Padres
El Titan made his Major League debut back in 2004 with the Texas Rangers. A season later he was traded to the San Diego Padres. During his stint with The Friars, Gonzalez was a two-time All Star and a two-times Gold Glove winner. He also reached a career high for home runs (40) during the 2009 season.
Boston Red Sox
In December of 2010, Adrian Gonzalez was traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for four ballplayers (Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Rey Fuentes and, Eric Patterson). By 2011, the infielder had already signed a 7 year contract extension worth $154 million trough the 2018 season. During his two years with Boston, he was named to the All Star game for a third time, captured a Gold Glove award and a Silver Slugger, all in 2011. He batted .321, hit 42 long balls, and had 201 RBI for the Red Sox.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Gonzalez was on the move again in 2012. This time, he was back on the West Coast with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was traded in a transaction that included pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Carl Crawford. He proved to be a powerful bat for Los Angeles. It is worth mentioning that during 2015 he experienced back problems for the first time in his career, suffering from a pinched nerve. Despite slumping alongside the rest of the roster during the postseason, he batted .280 with 101 homers and 448 RBI. During his six years with the Dodgers he was once again named an All Star for the National League, won a Silver Slugger and another Gold Glove. Regardless of his success, his final year with the Dodgers would be quite different.
A Downhill Dodger
The veteran started 2017 on the 10-day DL with elbow soreness. Furthermore, he was limited to playing just 71 games during the season due to a herniated disk in his back. When he returned, NL Rookie Of The Year Cody Bellinger had already taken a hold of his spot in the lineup and was not going to let go of it. To make matters worse for the Mexican-American infielder, his back problems definitely put an end to his season in September. By October he seemed to have lost his faith in the blue squad. He decided to vacation in Italy instead of remaining with the team for the World Series.
One Last Breath
Adrian Gonzalez is now a New York Met after a little more than a day with the Atlanta Braves. This could very well give his career a breath of fresh air. The Mets will replace the yet unsigned Lucas Duda with Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s power could go well with right fielder Jay Bruce as he returns to New York. However, that breath of fresh air could be his last. With age creeping up on him, and a continuously aching back, this upcoming season at New York could be his farewell one.