Adrian Gonzalez’s tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers came to an end earlier this offseason, as he was traded to the Atlanta Braves along with Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir and Charlie Culberson in exchange for a former teammate of his in Los Angeles, Matt Kemp.
Although Gonzalez only had one year remaining on his contract, he did not figure into the Braves future plans with Freddie Freeman locked in at first base. So the Braves designated Gonzalez for assignment and ultimately released him, making him a free agent.
With the free agent market being as slow as it has been this offseason, Gonzalez’s name hasn’t been brought up much as teams are likely waiting to see where other free agent first basemen like Eric Hosmer, Logan Morrison and Lucas Duda land.
But according to Gonzalez’s father, David, the 35-year-old has interest from four other teams but also could return to the Dodgers, as translated from the interview with Revista Strikeout:
ADRIÁN GONZÁLEZ tiene ofertas de 4 equipos, e inclusive podría volver con los DODGERS, dice su padre…
(HMB) @LosDodgers @DodgersNation @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/3V92pUflZA
— Revista Strikeout (@Rev_Strikeout) January 5, 2018
With the Braves paying Gonzalez’s $20+ million salary in 2018, whatever team takes a chance on him probably wouldn’t have to pay him more than the league minimum.
If the Dodgers were to bring Gonzalez back it would likely be as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, giving him a chance to show that he is healthy. But with Cody Bellinger locked in as their everyday first baseman, Gonzalez wouldn’t get much playing time for Los Angeles, serving as a left-handed bat off the bench.
Gonzalez still thinks he can play at a high level though, so he will seek an opportunity to start first before coming back to the Dodgers in a bench role. The New York Mets could be one possibility, as they reportedly reached out to him earlier this offseason.
