Marco Gonzales is on the move again.
The Atlanta Braves are trading the left-handed starter to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a player to be named later, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Atlanta is also sending cash to Pittsburgh in the deal.
Gonzales was just traded to the Braves on Sunday from the Seattle Mariners in the deal that sent outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Atlanta and he was expected to be flipped to another team this winter.
The 31-year-old has spent the last six and a half seasons in Seattle after beginning his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He struggled mightily during the 2023 campaign, posting a 5.22 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 50 innings across 10 starts.
However, it should be noted Gonzales dealt with a nerve issue in his forearm and ultimately underwent season-ending surgery in August after he hadn’t pitched since a May 28 start against the Pirates.
“It became harder and harder to get loose each inning,” Gonzales told reporters at the time. “I felt some achy soreness in my forearm, in the middle of it. Basically ever since then each time I go to throw a baseball I feel this aching, sore pain in the middle of my forearm.”
Gonzales is expected to be ready for the 2024 campaign and should be a solid addition to the back end of Pittsburgh’s rotation behind Roansy Contreras, Bailey Falter, Luis Ortiz, and Quinn Priester.
The addition of Gonzales also gives the Bucs some much-needed depth on the mound as Johan Oviedo will miss the 2024 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Additionally, JT Brubaker and Mike Burrows won’t be options for Pittsburgh until the midway point of the season as they both underwent Tommy John surgery.
The Pirates finished the 2023 season with a 76-86 record, missing the playoffs for the eighth straight year, and are hoping to put together a much better 2024 campaign.
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