The New York Mets officially announced the signing of Adrian Gonzalez to a one-year contract. Gonzalez joins the team after spending the past five and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
During that time, Gonzalez batted .280/.339/.454 with 164 doubles, 101 home runs and 448 RBI, while appearing in 745 games. Since becoming a full-time player with the San Diego Padres in 2006, he played in at least 156 games through the 2016 season.
This past year was particularly trying for the 35-year-old. He dealt with a nagging elbow/forearm injury during Spring Training, then a chronic bulging disc during the regular season.
That forced Gonzalez to be placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career, and a second stint followed shortly after he was activated.
The injuries limited Gonzalez to just 71 games, his fewest since appearing in 43 for the Texas Rangers as a second-year player in 2005. During his first stay on the disabled list, Gonzalez essentially lost the starting job at first base to rookie Cody Bellinger.
Having missed a chunk of the season, the Dodgers made the decision to shut down their steady leader during the final week of September. At the time, the organization and Gonzalez said it was a decision based on allowing him to focus on getting healthy for 2018.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said last November he anticipated Gonzalez being with the club for Spring Training this year. But he was traded one month later to the Atlanta Braves in a salary dump.
Atlanta promptly released Gonzalez, thrusting him into free agency for the first time in his career. Although his time with the Dodgers ended on a down note, Gonzalez enjoyed a successful run in Los Angeles as a crowd and clubhouse-favorite.
