Is Gio Gonzalez Waiting On The A’s?

Still awaiting on the word of MLB Comissioner Bud Selig, the Oakalnd Athletics are also seemingly waiting to offer star pitcher Gio Gonzalez a contract extension. Gonzalez, 25, represents one of Oakland’s top young arms, but the team has yet to offer an extension to the young southpaw.

Oakland ironed out contract extensions for pitchers Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill, but Gonzalez hasn’t really been approached by the team about an offer. Last year both Cahill and Gonzalez emerged onto the scene, winning a combined 33 games for Oakland, with Gonzalez pulling out 15 of those victories.

He went 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA in 200.2 innings last season. He struck out a total of 171 batters last year, while walking a total of 92. Despite the high number of walks, Gonzalez produced a solid campaign in 2010, and certainly deserved a little more recognition for his efforts.

This year, Gonzalez has compiled a 15-12 record to go along with a 3.25 ERA in 194.0 innings. Gonzalez is projected to start in Oakland’s final game of the season in Seattle on Wednesday, but the lefty’s 2011 numbers are pretty similar to the ones he posted last year.

The walks are still an issue for Gonzalez, who has walked a total of 88 so far this year, but the young southpaw remains a driving force in Oakland’s rotation. The A’s have experienced a great deal of inconsistencies both on offense and defense, and while Gonzalez hit a rough patch like the rotation did following the All-Star break, Gonzalez’s performance this season have been commendable.

His maturation into a big league pitcher has been a very joyful experience for many A’s fans, I’m sure. Like Anderson and Cahill, Gonzalez is a bright young pitcher that the A’s value very highly. Unfortunately for Oakland, however, the longer the team waits to offer Gonzalez an extension, the higher his value is likely to go up.

Why would the A’s wait for that to happen? Why are they waiting at all?

Well, as Susan Slusser suggested in a post earlier this week in the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s might be inclined to undergo yet another rebuild if MLB grants them the move to San Jose. Might the team also be inclinded, then, to trade away Gonzalez?

Gonzalez would probably fetch amount of talent, and the A’s, if granted to move to San Jose, would likely want a perennial contender on the field in San Jose. Heading into the offseason, the A’s could, as Slusser notes, be rather limited with their spending.

So for now, the A’s and Gio Gonzalez are likely going to have to play the waiting game…