The Mets Sign Former Dodger Adrian Gonzalez Pending Physical
It has happened. We Dodger fans knew this day would be coming eventually. It began when the Dodgers sent away Gonzo to the Braves in the Charlie Culberson trade. And it has ended now with Gonzo officially signing with the New York Mets. Thus officially ends the time of Adrian Gonzalez with the Dodgers, for now. The details of the contract are currently unknown. It would not be a surprise if he will be playing only for the league minimum, as the Braves are on the hook for his $17 million for 2018.
The #Mets now have decided to sign 1B Adrian Gonzalez pending a physical.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 14, 2018
Dodger fans will forever hold fond memories of El Titan. He arrived in another major trade that actually was a salary dump for Boston Red Sox. He came here with Josh Beckett, Nick Punto, and Carl Crawford. It was one of the first major moves by the new ownership that signaled the end of the Frank McCourt penny pinching years. Though Beckett and Crawford didn’t bring much to the table, A-Gon brought in some amazing years at first-base for us.
In the 6 years Gonzo was a member of the Boys in Blue, he slashed a solid .280/.338./.454. Despite a few down seasons at the tail-end, especially his injury-plagued 2017, he still brought stability to a position not seen since the days of Eric Karros. But most importantly, during his years with the Dodgers, he had a charisma that made him a fan favorite. The Dodgers have a huge Hispanic fan-base, and Gonzo really reinvigorated that fan-base in a way probably not seen since the days of Fernandomania. Fans will always remember him fondly, and he will be missed deeply by the Dodger faithful.
He now begins his new journey with the New York Mets. The Mets had Lucas Duda there, and tried to move top prospect Dominic Smith into the everyday role. However, Smith had trouble adjusting to MLB pitching, and hit to a meager tune of .198/.262/.395. Bringing in Adrian Gonzalez allows the Mets to ease Smith’s transition to the Majors and put a veteran presence in their lineup. We wish the best for El Titan in the bright lights of New York city!
On a side note: inside sources have told us that our former editor, Alex Perez, had nothing to do with the signing.
Great. I really like the guy and think he will be a huge asset to the Mets. He also brings gold glove defense and a clubhouse presence that cannot be dismissed, I wish Gonzo nothing but success in NY.