Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Milwaukee Brewers have acquired starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez from the Washington Nationals.
Gonzalez, 32, has been a fixture in the Nationals’ rotation since 2012, posting a 3.62 ERA alongside an 86-65 record and a K/BB ratio of 2.91. The numbers this season have been relatively discouraging, however, as the lefty has a 4.57 ERA and 1.531 WHIP in 27 starts.
Gonzalez’s struggles since the beginning of June (6.53 ERA, 1.726 WHIP, .304/.383/.481 opponent line since June 2) have come to dictate what has been a marginal step back not only for him, but also for the Nationals organization as a whole.
The news of his trade breaks just hours after Washington finalized a deal to send reliever Ryan Madson to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While the circumstances are unfortunate, Gonzalez may benefit from a clean slate in Milwaukee, which has been spinning forward with a four-man rotation and has the 14th-worst second-half ERA (4.46) in the National League and the 15th highest homer rate (1.5 per nine innings).
All in all, Gonzalez averages just 0.9 HR/9, which could bode fairly well for a Brewer team that has faded behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for a playoff spot.
