Great in regular season, Gonzalez hit familiar bump in October

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Gio Gonzalez, who enjoyed perhaps the best regular season of his career but once again struggled in October.

PLAYER REVIEW: GIO GONZALEZ

Age on opening day 2018: 32

How acquired: Traded from Athletics with Robert Gilliam for A.J. Cole, Tommy Milone, Derek Norris and Brad Peacock, December 2011

MLB service time: 8 years, 162 days

2017 salary: $12 million

Contract status: Signed for $12 million in 2018 (option vested when he reached 180 innings this season). Free agent in 2019.

2017 stats: 15-9, 2.96 ERA, 32 GS, 0 CG, 201 IP, 158 H, 69 R, 66 ER, 21 HR, 79 BB, 188 SO, 7 HBP, 7 WHIP, 3.3 WAR

Quotable: "Last year, he had a .500 season. This year, he's one of our main guys. He's going deeper and deeper in games. His pitch count is coming down. The guys are staying sharper, cause he's throwing more strikes. We'll take that and more, all the way through October." - Dusty Baker on Gonzalez, July 31

2017 analysis: Gonzalez didn't exactly report for spring training with a positive vibe surrounding him. He was trying to bounce back from his worst season since joining the Nationals, who could have elected not to pick up his $12 million option but decided the erratic left-hander was still worth it.

Gonzalez was worth it. He tossed six scoreless innings in his regular season debut, maintained a sub-2.00 ERA through May 7 and never saw his ERA top 3.03 during a season in which he displayed remarkable consistency, given his track record. His 22 quality starts matched teammate Max Scherzer as most among all National League pitchers.

In many ways, Gonzalez wasn't a particularly different pitcher than he was in previous seasons. His walk, strikeout and home run rates were nearly the same as they were in 2016. The biggest difference (and the biggest reason for his success): A newfound ability to pitch his way out of trouble. Opponents hit only .175 against him with runners in scoring position, the fourth-best rate in the majors. (He actually led the majors in this category until late September.)

Optimism was high for Gonzalez entering the postseason, and after Scherzer's hamstring prevented him from pitching until Game 3 against the Cubs, the Nationals needed the left-hander to hold a more prominent role in the National League Division Series. Alas, Gonzalez reverted to previous playoff form: He allowed three runs in five innings in Game 2, then allowed three runs in three innings in Game 5, winding up with his sixth no-decision in six career postseason starts.

2018 outlook: First things first: Gonzalez will be back with the Nationals next season. By topping 180 innings, his $12 million option for 2018 automatically vested. Unless the Nats look to shop him around, he'll be back for his seventh season with the organization.

What, then, should the club realistically expect from Gonzalez? Based on his peripheral stats, there's reason to believe he benefited from at least some good luck this year. That alone should lead to some regression in his numbers.

Really, though, what the Nationals need from Gonzalez is what he has consistently given them every year since he arrived in D.C.: Starts and quality innings. In eight seasons as a full-time big-league starter, he has averaged 31 starts, 189 innings and a 3.41 ERA. Despite small fluctuations from year to year, those benchmarks have remained impressive stable over time.

As a No. 3 or No. 4 starter, Gonzalez is one of the best in baseball. What the Nationals have to hope, though, is that they won't need the left-hander to be anything more than a No. 3 or No. 4 starter come playoff time. A healthy and effective Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg tandem takes a whole lot of pressure off Gonzalez, and allowed the Nats not to need to rely on him as much in the games that matter most.