A bit of surprising news in Birdland this afternoon, as rather than option him to AAA (he had one remaining), stick him in the bullpen, or even let him try to work out his issues as a starter, the Orioles have reportedly handed Miguel Gonzalez his walking papers.
The #Orioles have given right-hander Miguel Gonzalez his unconditional release, according to an industry source.
— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) March 30, 2016
Miguel Gonzalez will be on waivers for the next 48 hours. After that, he becomes a free agent. #Orioles
— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) March 30, 2016
Gonzalez had been struggling mightily this spring, though he finally seemed to get on the right track last night, tossing five innings and allowing one run on seven hits while striking out four and not issuing a single walk.
On the other hand…
Even with a better outing last night, Gonzalez's fastball was regularly hitting only 87-88. Averaged 91 mph last season. #Orioles
— Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) March 30, 2016
Gonzalez was a very reliable pitcher for the Orioles from 2012-14, posting 105.1, 171.1, and 159.0 IP those three seasons, respectively, with ERAs of 3.25, 3.78, and 3.23. The wheels fell off in 2015 though, as Gonzalez pitched to a 4.91 ERA (5.01 FIP) in 144.2 IP.
So why not just option him? They must really think he’s done, and they want to save some money.
On Gonzalez, players released by Opening Day get 45 days pay. Owed $5.1m, would put #Orioles on hook for $1.275m. pic.twitter.com/Kv5lQSrXO9
— Jon Meoli (@JonMeoli) March 30, 2016
The move leaves the Orioles with a rotation of Yovani Gallardo, Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, an injured Kevin Gausman, and…? Tyler Wilson and/or Mike Wright, I suppose.
So long, Miggy. Thanks for everything.
