Back with Brewers, Gio to start today

NEW YORK -- Gio González is back with the Brewers, and he’ll be on the mound for them Sunday in the finale of the club's three-game series against the Mets at Citi Field on MLB.TV at 12:10 p.m. CT.

In many ways, it’s fitting that his first start of the year will come against the Mets, as Gonzalez said before Saturday’s game that the Brewers and Mets were the two main teams in the mix as he made his decision after opting out of his contract with the Yankees.

• Gio signs one-year deal with Crew

“The Mets were huge. ... They were definitely in there," said Gonzalez, who joined the club on Saturday. "I think they have such a great rotation, a great group of guys. It was a tough decision. The Brewers came in and met my expectations, met my needs. ... It was a win-win for me.”

Gonzalez ultimately went with the familiar team in the Brewers -- to whom he was traded by the Nationals on Aug. 31 last season -- and a chance to be a starter, which was a clearer option with Milwaukee than with New York.

Even while he was a free agent in the offseason and then with the Yankees organization, Gonzalez never felt far from the Brewers, which he mentioned in noting what drew him back.

“I think it was just the communication and playing with [these] guys, Milwaukee and the chemistry we built together, the team and friendship," Gonzalez said. "A lot of the guys stayed in touch, just to see how I was doing. That means the world to me, as a person.”

On Sunday, Gonzalez will see his first live game action of any kind in more than a week, as his final Triple-A start ended up being rained out. His last game was April 14.

Gonzalez gives the team pitching depth, as manager Craig Counsell said before the game Saturday.

“I think adding depth is important to us. ... He did a phenomenal job for us last year, so we’ll take that again. ... We feel like we’re adding a good arm to our 13 guys, and that’s meaningful.”

Gonzalez has made 27 or more starts in each season since 2010, and that durability is yet another aspect of this signing that could help Milwaukee.

At some point, the Brewers will return Freddy Peralta and Jimmy Nelson, who are both on the comeback trail, and could find themselves in a situation where they have a surplus of starters.

“If this causes tough decisions, that’s because a lot of people are pitching well," Counsell said. "And then, that puts us in a good spot.

"What we didn’t want to do was get caught without enough guys and get caught shorthanded. If everybody’s pitching well and we have to make some tough or different-looking decisions, or go at our pitching a little differently, then we will. We don’t feel like we’re there yet, so we felt like adding a talented arm like Gio was the right thing to do.”