Taking a year off from Major League Baseball after the age of 30 isn’t the typical formula for a player to succeed, but that’s what veteran left-hander Marco Gonzales is looking to accomplish.
Gonzales, a 10-year major league veteran with the St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, and Pittsburgh Pirates, missed the entire past season after undergoing flexor tendon surgery in his elbow in August of 2024. Now healthy, he’s ready to compete for a roster spot during spring training with a new organization.
According to a Thursday report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Gonzales and the San Diego Padres agreed to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. Heyman also reported that Gonzales will receive a $1.5 million base salary if he makes the major league roster, with an additional $1 million in possible bonuses.
Gonzales made just seven appearances for the Pirates in 2024, pitching to a 4.54 ERA in 33 2/3 innings. Never a big strikeout guy, he punched out just 23 batters that year and allowed 43 hits.
The best full season of Gonzales’ career was 2019, when he went 16-13 for the Mariners. His 3.99 ERA was worthy of a 109 ERA+ at the time, which was the height of the juiced ball era. He then went on to pitch even better in 11 starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, bumping his ERA+ up to 138.
Entering his age-34 season, Gonzales is something of an unknown coming into Padres camp. But this is a San Diego rotation filled with question marks, even after Michael King’s return in free agency.
If Gonzales proves he can limit walks and eat innings, he might be able to spend some time on the major league roster for a Padres club that hopes to contend without as much roster depth as some of its National League contenders.
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