White Sox sign Miguel Gonzalez to 1-year deal

The White Sox have agreed to a one-year, $4.75 million deal with free-agent starter Miguel Gonzalez, a source confirmed Thursday morning. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the agreement.

Gonzalez, who turns 34 in May, spent the bulk of the last two seasons with the White Sox, posting a 4.02 ERA and 4.15 FIP in 46 appearances (45 starts) with the club. He was traded to the Rangers in a waiver-wire deal at the end of August and struggled to a 6.45 ERA in five starts for Texas.

Gonzalez will re-join James Shields, Carlos Rodon and youngsters Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer in a ChiSox rotation mix in 2018. If he pitches well, he’ll surely be a deadline trade candidate for general manager Rick Hahn, who is expected to continue Chicago’s rebuild by shopping veterans throughout the next year.

Gonzalez also drew interest from the Orioles, with whom he spent the first four years of his career from 2012 to 2015. In total, he owns a lifetime 3.95 ERA and 4.58 FIP in six years with Baltimore, Chicago and Texas.

Gonzalez is the first major-league free-agent signing by the White Sox this winter. The club made one significant trade, acquiring Joakim Soria and Luis Avilan in a three-way deal with the Royals and Dodgers.