Which Teams Could Trade For Joey Gallo?
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NEW YORK — The Yankees knew what type of player they were acquiring when they traded for Joey Gallo before last year's trade deadline, sending four prospects to the Rangers.
New York was cognizant of Gallo's high strikeout numbers, his low batting average and his toxic relationship with baseball's three true outcomes.
This was never part of the plan, though.
Save for a few flashes over the last calendar year, Gallo has been dreadful in pinstripes. Entering play on Wednesday, the outfielder is hitting .164/.295/.371 over 129 total games in a Yankees uniform, swatting 23 home runs with 180 strikeouts.
This season, Gallo has struck out 37.9 percent of the time, the worst K% of any player with 240-plus plate appearances this year. He's also in the league's 1st percentile in xBA (.192) and Whiff% (40.1), producing an average exit velocity of 87.7 mph, the lowest of any full season in his career.
It doesn't get too much better for Gallo from there. The two-time Gold Glove Award winner has contributed minus-one defensive runs saved in his primary position of left field this year (plus-three DRS in right field) and 0.1 fWAR, his worst in the big leagues (other than 2016 when he played in just 17 games with Texas).
For all those reasons and more, Gallo's time with the Yankees might be running out. It's been reported that New York is discussing with other teams about dealing Gallo over the next few weeks before the trade deadline. Even Gallo understands that he could be moved, telling the New York Post recently that he's "aware of that possibility."
With those grotesque numbers listed above, what team would actually want to trade for Gallo? Is his production in pinstripes enough to turn 29 other teams away?
Well, some clubs have prior interest in the outfielder, some will view him as a change-of-scenery candidate and others are in a spot of their season where they're willing to take a risk on a power-hitting outfielder that's set to hit free agency this fall.
If New York is trying to get rid of him, in a form of addition by subtraction, odds are it won't take too much for another team to reel him in before August 2.
That in mind, here are six teams that might be interested in a Gallo trade. Some have been connected to Gallo and the Yankees in recent reports from MLB insiders. Others listed here are pure speculation.
San Diego Padres
The Padres have been linked to Gallo before. Not only were they reportedly in on Gallo at last year's trade deadline, before the Yankees swooped in, but they also checked in with New York about Gallo's availability this spring.
READ: Yankees Discussed Joey Gallo Trade With Padres This Spring
This is a case of a contender banking on a player's past, ignoring his recent production. San Diego is near the cellar in home runs (73) and OPS (.689) this year. Plus, their general manager, A.J. Preller, is a former Rangers executive, someone that's familiar with the All-Star version of Gallo, a player that can hit 40-plus home runs, making up for his low average.
San Diego doesn't have a left-handed slugger on their roster. They took a chance with Robinson Cano, promoting Nomar Mazara from Triple-A last month. Maybe Petco Park and sunny San Diego would bring the best out of Gallo, at least for the stretch run in a competitive National League Wild Card race.
Philadelphia Phillies
Until Bryce Harper is healthy, what do the Phillies have to lose?
Philadelphia has the worst defensive outfield in Major League Baseball (minus-23 DRS). Gallo would be an instant upgrade on that side of the ball and while there are other strong defenders available leading up to the deadline, none of them have the offensive upside that Gallo provides with his power and plate discipline.
Gallo and Kyle Schwarber in the same outfield might lead to a lot of strikeouts and hitless nights, but there could also be multi-homer contests, giving the Phillies a boost. With Gallo in the outfield, it would help Schwarber and Nick Castellanos get reps at designated hitter, giving Harper an opportunity to ease back whenever he returns from the injured list as well.
For what it's worth, MLB insider Mark Feinsand listed Gallo as a potential fit for Philly in a recent article on MLB.com, highlighting each team's most "glaring need" ahead of the deadline.
Texas Rangers
Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently reported that along with the Padres, the Rangers could be interested in a Gallo trade.
Would Texas really bring Gallo back one year after ending their decade-long relationship?
The Rangers aren't out of the playoff hunt just yet, a team in the middle of the pack when it comes to offensive production. Gallo, in theory, is more of an imposing hitter than some of the outfielders Texas currently has (like Kole Calhoun and Brad Miller), even if they've produced better numbers in 2022.
This would certainly be intriguing and extra unique considering two of the four prospects New York sent to Texas for Gallo are already with the Rangers in the big leagues (Ezequiel Duran also spent a chunk of time with the Rangers before he was demoted at the end of June).
Bottom line, it's easy to envision the fit for Gallo after his seven years in a Rangers uniform. Maybe that familiarity and a smaller market can help him produce and recapture his All-Star form. That is, if the Rangers even want him back...
St. Louis Cardinals
Before winning each of their last three games, St. Louis had lost 13 of their previous 20. They're still very much in the running for the NL Central and could be active at the deadline to make their roster better.
With a poor defensive outfield (tied for 25th in baseball with minus-10 DRS), and key outfielders—like Harrison Bader and Tyler O'Neill—on the injured list, perhaps the Cardinals take a chance with a player like Gallo. Then again, it's not like St. Louis needs left-handed hitters in their outfield. They already have Corey Dickerson, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson (switch) on their active roster.
MLB insider Jon Morosi recently reported that the Cardinals have checked in with the Nationals, among other teams, about offensive pieces ahead of the trade deadline. Could New York be one of those other teams?
Chicago White Sox
Combing through Chicago's numbers in the outfield this year, the White Sox might actually benefit from a player like Gallo.
White Sox outfielders have the worst walk rate among all MLB teams (5.1%), the third-lowest fWAR (0.5) and a poor slugging percentage (.374), and yet they do hit for average (sixth-best average at .252) and don't strike out too often (only 21.1%). Therefore, a swing-and-miss player like Gallo wouldn't necessarily make matters worse.
Plus, the White Sox have some of the worst numbers in the league when it comes to left-handed hitters. Lefties in Chicago have just 14 home runs, 77 RBI, 50 walks and they are dead last in MLB with a .550 OPS in 2022.
Bottom line, Chicago has been disappointing this year and if they do want to contend, as they look up at the Twins and Guardians in their division, it might be time to take a risk.
Gallo has also played well at Guaranteed Rate Field over the last few years, hitting four home runs and batting .314 (11-for-35) in nine games at that ballpark.
He'd help on defense, too. Chicago's outfielders are last in the league in Ultimate Zone Rating (minus-21.8 UZR).
Miami Marlins
Like the White Sox, the Marlins haven't received too much production from their outfielders this year either.
Miami is 28th in outfielder on base percentage (.287), 24th in OPS (.664), 22nd in fWAR (2.0) and tied for 22nd in wRC+ (90).
Who knows if the Marlins are going to be a buyer at the deadline in a few weeks—they currently sit five games out of the NL Wild Card race. Perhaps a left-handed hitter with upside in the power department would be worth a shot?
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