Former Oakland A’s pitcher Gio Gonzalez calls it a career

Gio Gonzalez was seemingly destined for greatness. A four time top 100 prospect according to Baseball America, he was the type of pitcher that teams coveted, as proven by his inclusion in trades for players such as Jim Thome and Freddy Garcia. He was viewed as a building block, someone that could help anchor a pitching staff.

Now, after 13 years in the majors, Gonzalez is calling it a career. He announced on his Instagram on Thursday that he is ready to retire.

Gio Gonzalez brings underrated career to a close

While Gonzalez may not have lived up to those lofty expectations, he still posted a solid career. Gonzalez finishes his time in the majors with a 131-101 record, along with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.324 WHiP. He struck out 1860 batters in his 1933 innings, issuing 815 walks. A two time All Star, he finished third in the 2012 NL Cy Young vote, leading the league in wins and K/9 that season.

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Gonzalez came to the A’s through a somewhat odd path. He was drafted by the White Sox, and was sent to the Phillies’ organization for Thome. Then, a year later, he was back to Chicago, with Garcia heading to Philadelphia. Eventually, he was traded to the A’s as part of the package for Nick Swisher.

He had a solid four year run in Oakland, posting a 38-32 record with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.410 WHiP over his 535.1 innings, striking out 511 batters with 264 walks. As he was reaching arbitration, the A’s traded him to the Nationals for a package of prospects, none of which developed as the A’s had hoped.

After a solid seven year run in Washington, Gonzalez bounced around. He was traded to the Brewers at the August deadline in 2018, then signed a minor league contract with the Yankees the following year. After he was released, he returned to Milwaukee for one more year before signing with the White Sox for 2020. He then signed a minor league contract with his hometown Marlins on March 4 before deciding it was time to retire.

Gio Gonzalez had a solid run in the majors. Now, after a 13 year career, he has decided that it is time to retire.