Yankees: 4 former rivals NYY should sign this offseason

3. Marwin Gonzalez

The Yankees probably should’ve signed Marwin Gonzalez the last time he was available, but hey, do it now!

After the 2018 season when Marwin Gonzalez hit free agency, he was 29 years old and just one season removed from a 19th-place MVP finish during the tainted 2017 season. Remember? He hit .303 with 23 homers and 90 RBI, smacking the game-tying homer on the road in Game 2 of the World Series that brought us to this nightmare.

Of course, the trash can business likely aided Gonzalez, who settled back into being a .250-.260 hitter with 15-homer power who can play any and all infield positions in the years that followed. But guess what? That’s still pretty valuable! Especially at a lower AAV with the shine taken off him a bit.

For what it’s worth (something, but maybe not a lot), Gonzalez was one of the few former Astros to show genuine contrition for the team’s actions this offseason. He made a legitimate, unprompted locker room apology, without all the theatrics of Alex Bregman’s tiny, blank piece of paper whipping in the Florida wind.

If you don’t want to touch Gonzalez, a former ‘Stro and Twin, that’s perfectly fine. But he’d be a clear upgrade on Estrada, Wade, and Jordy Mercer, and would fill a role that you know is going to be opened up by injury at some point in 2020. And he’ll probably come on a one-year deal this time.