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No team can ever have enough pitchers. You can always use another starter, or another guy in the bullpen, or somebody who can do both. With that point in mind, I think that New York Yankees need to make a push for Cuban pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.
The recent defector has received interest from many different teams including the Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, the Texas Rangers and the Philadelphia Phillies, among others. He has a live arm and can throw in the mid-90′s, and he also adds a few off-speed pitches to keep hitters guessing. According to scouts, Gonzalez has excellent strikeout ability, and he has a chance to be a very good pitcher in the major leagues.
Should the Yankees take a risk on this guy? I think the answer has to be yes. This is the classic high-risk/high-reward situation; it’s tough to judge how good he will be — but he could be really good. Especially considering the recent success of Cubans such as Yasiel Puig and Home Run Derby Champion Yoenis Cespedes, I think teams are more than willing to take a chance on a guy like this.
Gonzalez could make an excellent addition to the Yankees starting rotation, which has been plagued by injury and inconsistency. He could also come out of the bullpen to provide strong support to David Robertson and Mariano Rivera. However, the Yankees might use him, they have to sign him first. We’ll see if they can get the job done.
Kyle Massa is a New York Yankees writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylemassa, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
