DENVER (AP)  Pittsburgh and Colorado reads like this: Jameson Taillon vs. Chad Bettis.A more accurate description: Two starters bouncing back from testicular cancer.“Both healthy. Both in the big leagues Jhoulys Chacin Jersey ,” the Pirates’ Taillon said. “Life’s good.”The Rockies’ Bettis underwent surgery in November 2016 for testicular cancer and continued cancer treatments through that spring and into last season. So when Taillon had surgery to treat testicular cancer on May 8, 2017, he had an instant line of support.“Baseball is a brotherhood. When something happens to our own, everyone comes together — even more so when there are two people going through the same thing,” the 26-year-old Taillon said. “It made sense to reach out to each other and give our well-wishes and see if there’s anything we could offer up to each other.“I just felt like if I needed anything or had a question, I was very comfortable going to ask him about any part of the process.”Taillon did, too. Simple things: How often did you get your blood levels checked? What was the treatment like?“It was really nothing crazy, but that was comforting,” Taillon said. “He was months ahead of me and what I was going through. It was nice to have somebody I could ask questions.”Taillon’s eyes lit up when he heard that Bettis would come off the disabled list — Bettis has been dealing with a blister — to make the start. Bettis hadn’t been officially named the starter when the clubhouse was open Monday, but he did say how “cool” it would to face Taillon.“It will be really nice for that to happen,” said Bettis, who returned to the Rockies’ starting rotation on Aug. 14, 2017 Alex Wood Jersey , after his recovery.Bettis hasn’t pitched for the Rockies since July 1 due to a blister on his middle finger. He’s tried every remedy, but it keeps bothering him. So the 29-year-old texted Taillon, who’s been dealing with a cut on his middle finger as well.“He had some good insight,” Bettis said. “There were a couple things he was doing, that I felt we could try and see how it worked out. It was good to get some feedback.”Taillon’s advice? Use a finger sleeve and take days off. He also told Bettis how precisely he was clipping his fingernails.“But you can see I don’t have too much great advice,” Taillon laughed, showing off his cracked finger. “I’m still working through it. I’m still battling my own thing.”It took Taillon about a month to return to the mound last season after testicular cancer surgery. In his first start back on June 12, 2017, he threw five scoreless innings as the Pirates beat the Rockies.Later that season, Taillon got a hit off Chicago Cubs starter Jon Lester, a cancer survivor, and was chatting with first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a teenager.“Rizzo looked at me and said Zack Cozart Jersey , ‘Hey, there are three cancer survivors right here — me, you and Lester,'” Taillon recounted. “That moment was cool for me.“Facing off against Chad will be one of those cool moments.” As we continue to explore potential fits for the Astros rotation, I stumbled across Gio Gonzalez. I know the initial reaction to a 4.21 ERA pitcher last year may not scream like an ideal signing,..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Houston Astros NewsGame ThreadsHouston Astros Minor LeaguesAstros Game DayPodcastsShould the Astros sign Gio Gonzalez?New,39comments3 or so years ago.SummaryGonzalez is not an ace, nor does he need to be for our rotation. His days 3.22 ERA that he achieved from 2010-2014 are over, looking more like a high 3’s pitcher to me. That’s not an exciting signing to a lot of people, but I believe provides a similar value to what Dallas Keuchel provided for us last year, and a point of interest is that there were only 38 pitchers who pitched the qualified number of innings (162 IP) with an ERA under 4.The proposed contract of 2/$24 Million would not break the bank, and would provide the reliable veteran experience and assumingly the predictable performance that would be beneficial to round out a rotation and provide us some redundancy as we look at the rotation. Overall, I do think that 2/$24 is a tad high considering his recent and projected performance http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , not meeting the $/WAR figure, but I do believe there is a significant improvement possible for Gonzalez with some of Strom’s tutelage – removing the sinker as a primary component. Would I do it? Well I’m still a believer that we don’t NEED another starter, but in many ways, Gio Gonzalez provides us with an option that does not mortgage the future. $12 Million per year is a significant amount of money, but with the consistency of Gio’s past performances I would feel more comfortable with him than a lot of the other players that have been rumored. The suggested 2 year contract seems amicable for both sides, somewhat limiting our risks on an aging pitcher, as well as providing additional rotation depth as we look at potential departures after next year. I am not as big of a proponent of the Lefty / Righty starter as many others, but Gonzalez being a lefty is an item of importance to a lot of people. He would replace the void left by Keuchel’s (potential) departure, and I believe provide a similar value at a significantly lower price. What do you think? Would you want the Astros to pursue signing Gio? What would you offer him contract wise if so? Tell me your predictions for performance in 2019.