FA Signing: Gonzo in Toronto, Part Two

Alex Gonzalez will be manning shortstop in Toronto once again… only it will be a different Alex Gonzalez.

Alex S. Gonzalez was the Jays’ starting shortstop from 1994-2001, before rookie GM J.P. Ricciardi shed his salary in a trade dump with the Cubs. The younger Gonzalez, who was originally signed by Florida, will take over the position nine years after the original Gonzo left town.

Both players share some similar traits. Both shortstops were above-average defenders, but below average hitters (albeit with a little added pop). The elder Gonzalez finished his career in ’07 with a triple-slash line of .243/.302/.391, while the 32-year-old infielder has a career line of .247/.294/.395 in 1,229 big-league games.

Entering 2010, the junior Gonzalez will see everyday duty at shortstop with Toronto. The club also recently announced that it had resigned veteran backup John McDonald to a two-year, $3.0 million contract. He’ll likely spell Gonzalez at short once or twice a week, while also seeing time at second base and third base.

Defensively, which really doesn’t help fantasy owners, Gonzalez should pair with Aaron Hill to provide solid defense up the middle. Gonzalez had an UZR of 10.5 this past season. His range will help to make up for the poor play at the hot corner by Edwin ‘E5’ Encarnacion. Gonzalez’ defense pulled up his abysmal hitting to give him a 0.5 WAR rating, which means he was worth about $2.4 million in ’09. Terms of his 2010 contract have not been released.

Gonzalez split the ’09 season between Boston and Cincinnati and hit .238/.279/.355 in 391 at-bats. Bill James‘ projection for Gonzalez in 2010 is a line of .248/.305/.387. He hasn’t played more than 112 games in the past four seasons (having missed ’08 in its entirety), so McDonald should certainly get more playing time in 2010, after Marco Scutaro (possibly headed to Boston via free agency) started almost every game until he was hurt in September.

If Gonzalez sees some power return to his game in 2010 (His ISO was just .118 in ’09, compared to an average of .170 or so between 2003-07), he could see his value increase a little bit. Even so, he’s certainly not a Top 10 fantasy option at the position, and he may not be in the Top 20 either. Because of his defensive value, he’s far more valuable in real-life baseball than in fantasy ball.