Washington Nationals Free-Agent Slugger Could Help Fill Void for Tampa Bay Rays
The Washington Nationals have been fairly active of late getting their roster set for 2025.
After a quiet start to the offseason, things really picked up around the holidays for the Nationals in both free agency and the trade market.
Coming into the winter, Washington was an interesting team to monitor.
With a talented young core, some believed the time to make big splashes might be now. However, based on their moves made, they have elected to keep their flexibility for next year and let the young core develop.
Luckily, a couple of big contracts came off the books, most notably Patrick Corbin.
That money allowed the Nationals to add some nice veteran pieces around the young core.
Another player who became a free agent was first baseman Joey Gallo. After struggling in Washington, it was clear they wouldn’t bring back the slugger.
Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report spoke about Gallo being a solid option for the Tampa Bay Rays to help provide them a platoon piece at first base with some power.
“He strikes out a ton, but Gallo still has playable pop with 31 home runs in 592 plate appearances over the past two seasons. He is also a strong defender, which is something the Rays value more than most clubs.”
As mostly a platoon player with Washington, Gallo totaled a .161 batting average, a .277 on-base percentage, and 10 home runs in 260 plate appearances.
The 31-year-old feels long removed from his days as an All-Star with the Texas Rangers, but for a team like the Rays, he could make sense as an affordable option who brings a power threat to the lineup.
Even though his batting average is comically low, he still can hit the ball out of the park which makes him desirable.
For the Nationals, they did a nice job replacing him this winter.
Firstly, they made a trade to acquire Nathaniel Lowe from the Rangers to be the primary starter at first base. He is a much more complete player than Gallo, as he hits for both average and power, and plays solid defense at first base.
In addition to Lowe, they also reunited with Josh Bell to help provide some depth at first base and as a designated hitter.
Overall, moving on from Gallo after one year was the right move by the Nationals.
Considering the team won 71 games in the last two years and wants to take a step forward in 2025, they needed to upgrade the position.
However, even though he didn’t make sense for Washington anymore, for a small market team like Tampa Bay who will be trying to strike gold, he could be a fit.
