Ex-Yankees, Rangers Two-Time All-Star Floated As Realistic Royals Free-Agent Target

Is the risk worth the potential reward?

Aug 22, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Gallo (24) advances to third base on a single by Nationals outfielder Alex Call (not pictured) against the Colorado Rockies during the third inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Do the Kansas City Royals have any surprise signings left in store for this winter?

It's been a relatively quiet offseason on the free-agent front, which makes sense because Kansas City's projected payroll is already slightly higher than last year's. But the corner outfield still needs to be addressed in some capacity, whether that's via signing or trade.

Perhaps the Royals could swing big for a former All-Star who has been through some rough times in the past few seasons.

On Thursday, Jacob Milham of SB Nation discussed the possibility of the Royals signing Joey Gallo, the former two-time American League All-Star with the Texas Rangers who has since played with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Washington Nationals.

"If Kansas City wants to add slugging potential to its roster, few options within their financial reach offer a higher ceiling than Joey Gallo," Milham wrote.

"Yes, Gallo is flawed—his high strikeout rate and streaky production have been well documented—but so are the Royals’ current outfielders. Taking a low-dollar flyer on Gallo might be far from an optimal solution, but it could still represent a marginal upgrade for a team that desperately needs more offensive firepower."

At the center of Milham's reasoning for the Royals taking a flier on Gallo was the lefty's outstanding success at Kauffman Stadium throughout his career. In 33 career plate appearances in Kansas City, Gallo is hitting .606 with a 1.212 slugging percentage and five home runs.

At his peak, the 31-year-old Gallo produced back-to-back 40-homer seasons in Texas (2018 and 2019) and even led the American League in walks in 2021. But he's a strikeout machine, and the last time he batted over .200 in.a season was all the way back in 2019.

Does success in such a limited sample size guarantee a bounceback from the putrid 2024 season Gallo had? Of course not. But even in 2023, when he batted .177 in 111 games for the Minnesota Twins, he blasted 21 home runs and put up a league-average 100 OPS+.

Gallo might prove to be a disastrous signing for the Royals or anyone else. But if he can be had for a cheap one-year contract, perhaps even a minor-league deal, there's at least not much financial risk involved.

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