MLB Insider Shoots Down Joey Gallo Trade Proposal
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Former general manager Jim Bowden evaluated some trade proposals in a piece this week at The Athletic, a list of hypothetical deals pitched by fans that included the Yankees two different times.
The first proposal—sending Matt Olson from Oakland to the Bronx for a package of prospects—had some promise. The second? Not so much.
Here's the proposal with Bowden's concise take on the four-player deal:
Rangers trade SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa and OF Leody Taveras to Yankees for OF Joey Gallo and RHP Domingo Germán
The Yankees would give this one a hard pass. Kiner-Falefa and Taveras aren’t going to hit enough to interest them.
Sending Joey Gallo back to Texas?
It's worth noting that there were some Isiah Kiner-Falefa rumors earlier in the offseason. New York needs a shortstop for next season and could seek to acquire a stopgap at the position rather than signing a star in free agency after the lockout, filling in until top prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza are ready to don pinstripes.
To involve Joey Gallo and ship him right back to the Rangers less than a year after the Yankees traded four prospects for him is a particularly perplexing proposal, though.
Gallo struggled during his debut with the Yankees, hitting .160 with 88 strikeouts in his 58 games with the club after the trade deadline. Gallo's track record and advanced numbers, however, suggest the outfielder could be due for a huge year in 2022.
READ: MLB Insider Suggests Yankees Should Make Joey Gallo Leadoff Hitter
Sure, there's a chance that Gallo won't pan out in New York, but there's also a possibility the slugger explodes next season, providing a dangerous left-handed presence in the Yankees' lineup while playing another year of Gold Glove caliber defense in the outfield.
READ: Yankees Bold Predictions For 2022 Season
For reference, Kiner-Falefa (a versatile defender) hit .271/.312/.357 with eight homers in 158 games last year. Taveras, meanwhile, produced a .161 batting average with a .477 OPS over 49 big-league games a year ago.
New York needs offense and while Germán could theoretically be expendable in a hypothetical offseason trade, Gallo would net more of a return.
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