Multiple teams have inquired about Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, with the Indians and Phillies being among the “most aggressive” in doing so.
For his part, Gallo will become arbitration-eligible after the 2019 season, and is under control through 2022. That makes him an attractive asset to teams pursuing outfield help, especially considering his strength. The former top ten prospect enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, smacking 41 dingers to go along with a 14.1% walk rate en route to a 3-fWAR season. That comes with a well-known Achilles heel, however, as Gallo’s gargantuan 36.8% strikeout rate severely limited his production ceiling. In addition, more than half his batted balls were of the fly ball variety and his penchant for pulling the ball half the time as well makes him easily shiftable; those two factors put a stranglehold on his BABIP, which ended 2017 at .250. All told, this profile resulted in him barely hitting above the Mendoza line (.205 AVG), and the issues have become even more pronounced in 2018.
That said, however, Fangraphs still pegs Gallo as a 1.3 WAR outfielder, meaning he’s about league average in terms of position player value. He’s also quite young at just 24 years of age, giving him plenty of time to iron out his issues and/or improve upon his power ceiling. As such, it’s no surprise that the Rangers are torn about whether or not to deal their 2012 supplemental first round draft selection. On the one hand, he’s perhaps the club’s best chance to reap a significant prospect return as they embark on what promises to be a fairly arduous rebuild. On the other hand, though, it might not be the right time to deal the power prodigy, as his value is depressed due to an average follow-up to his breakout campaign. There’s at least a fairly good chance that Gallo will improve upon the .190/.306/.458 batting line and 102 wRC+ he’s posted so far this season, and if he does, he might net a better trade package in the future than he would now.
The Indians have perhaps the bleakest outfield outlook of any contending team. Outside of Michael Brantley, who’s been producing at close to his vintage levels after missing most of the past two seasons due to shoulder and ankle injuries, the Tribe’s situation in right and center field has taken a disastrous turn. Opening Day center fielder Bradley Zimmer’s out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, their best right field option Lonnie Chisenhall’s out until September with another calf issue, and even Tyler Naquin has recently joined the injury report with a hip issue that could keep him out awhile. That leaves the Indians trying to piece together an outfield puzzle with pieces like Melky Cabrera, Rajai Davis, Brandon Guyer and Greg Allen, none of whom have been particularly inspiring this season. It’s understandable that the Indians would be checking in on each and every outfield option available.
Meanwhile, the fit for Gallo in Philadelphia is less clear. Rhys Hoskins continues to be a revelation and will be firmly cemented in left field for years to come, while Odubel Herrera’s got a similar stranglehold on the center field job. Gallo could push Nick Williams into a fourth outfield role, which is probably the most likely scenario, but it’s not as though Williams has been bad- he’s hit .257/.331/.457 as a member of the Phillies this season and has been only slightly worse defensively than Gallo. It’s worth noting that Gallo came up through the Rangers’ system as a third baseman and incumbent Maikel Franco looked to be close to losing his job earlier this season, but he’s done more than enough to keep the keys to the hot corner with his recent performance; since the start of June, Franco’s hit .285/.333/.533 with nine homers and a meager 11.6% strikeout rate.
It remains to be seen what other teams have inquired on Gallo, though it seems possible the Yankees could potentially be interested following a serious injury to Aaron Judge. The Red Sox and Astros are known to be looking for outfield pieces as well, though they’re far more likely to invest in players with a lower price tag.
New York could get involved while Judge is out
drift,
I second that idea. I was always thinking that about him.
And what do you think they can do with him when Judge comes back…..not withstanding the haul that it would cost to trade for him for all these “controllable” reasons that clubs seems to hunger over.
Texas wouldn’t let him go cheaply and now you’ve clogged up the DH role for the foreseeable future.
All those farm assets begin to wilt and become devalued also with clubs knowing the Yankees have no room to bring any of them up unless they pitch.
Bad idea in my book. And I didn’t even mention this guy is a strikeout in the making!
Texas needs to move him. He can’t hit his weight, bette yet, he can’t hit Jose Altuve’s weight!
Let him go Texas!
It’s a terrible Idea. Judge will be back and Frazier even sooner.
Honestly, I’m not a Yankee fan, but why don’t they bring Frazier in when he’s cleared from his concussion?
Jek,
They probably will. That kid cannot catch a break.
Cashman is probably weighing in all his options.
Why not Ellsbury?
Brad, he has not played in a year. Either he is still hurt, which is hard to believe, or they want nothing to do with him.
They are eating his contract now!
First off it’s sarcasm, and second they’re not gonna eat his contract.
You suggest the Yankees trade for Gallo while judge is out… it doesn’t say much for Clint Frazier who I think will be an absolute stud if given an opportunity. Frazier is a hidden gem who’s basically blocked in New York
The “Rich” getting richer!
Steinbrenner investing in wind energy? Going to be a ton generated by Judge, Stanton, Gallo, Gallo 2 (Sanchez), Torres and Bird.
And record numbers/distance/exit velocity of balls crashing into outfield stands.
Yes, it is very odd how Cleveland hasn’t made any moves to bolster the OF and keeps running Raj and Melky out there despite supposedly being a contender. All that pitching won’t mean anything if you can’t score runs.
Gallo is young and would fit the phillies young core, but they don’t need him. He strikes out way too much.
So a guy that strikes out a ton and is average at best in the outfield? Sounds like a very Indians move… never strive for greatness and just settle for mediocre level players because they cost less.
Gallo, even with his weaknesses, would be better option than all of the Indian’s current outfielders.
Six in one half dozen in another. This Indians front office has never really acquired a good bat before so why would they start now?
Napoli was not too shabby several seasons back in an Indian uniform.
The years of control would be the big thing they are looking at. With Brantley, Davis, Cabrera and Chisenhal all free agents and Zimmer likely out half the year they need someone they know can at least fill a spot.
If you’re looking for guys with control it’s going to cost a pretty penny so why not go for guys like Castellanos and Dietrich.
I can’t see them doing a deal with Detroit. Dietrich I do like but it depends on the price and I think Miami will want more than they are willing to give up.
So far every other division has made an inter-division trade so that’s a lazy excuse that the Indians front office likes to make every trade deadline.
The Indians front office is lazy… any idiot can trade a top prospect for a reliever like they have done in the past. It takes creativity to package multiple prospects together for a position player and they have never accomplished that.
I understand the whole love affair with years of control going around the league, but now assuming you trade for a guy like Gallo, you’ve got him on your team for the next several seasons and need to build the Indians around a guy who might hit 40+ homers, but strikes out 1 of 3 times at bat? Your offensive rally consists of waiting for that dinger to score.
That’s quite a way to fill a spot.
Better than Brantley? Now, that’s probably the dumbest comment of the day, maybe even all time.
Don’t get too carried away with the dumb comment of all time…Brantley can get hurt coming out of the shower…..not exactly hall of fame stuff you know!
If the shoe fits…..
It fits.
Well heck Jon might as well give Gallo and Mazara away too!
Being a realistic Yankees fan, what is Tyler Wade going to do with his bat for us?
Not much, but it’s only a few weeks. And besides Wade will not be in there every day. They can survive. Stanton will just have to play OF more in 5e interim.
Persky, lol, you are right..
Thanks for calming my nerves!!
Bradley’s batting what? .210 for the Sox.
Tuesdays a long way off.
Way more then you!!!
lol, good one bruh
Gallo would likely fetch 3 Top 15 prospects.
Are you serious? He has never hit about .200 and his OBP is .304… you would be lucky to fetch a single top 20 prospect within an organization for him.
Well he’s 24 and has ridiculous pop… idk about 3 top 15 kids but at least one.
Doesn’t walk, and strikes out 1 of every 3 at bats….a true rally killer!
Who cares how far he hits them, it still only counts as a homer.
He walks plenty. His walk rate this year is over 13%
He’s one of the many poster boys for the 3-true outcomes that makes the games almost unwatchable.
I doubt any teams still look at batting average as any indicator of performance. Maybe within the context of contact skills, but largely still not a useful stat in an of itself.
Gallo might be the most valuable asset the Rangers have to deal. Which is more damming to the Rangers’ current roster than admiration for Gallo.
That being said he is largely a lottery ticket. He could be at peak value now, and the Rangers should at least listen on offers. Gallo could figure out his pull tendacy and contact issues next year and his value would obviously increase. Would teams buy the supposed turnaround ? Or would it be seen as a fluke? Overall I don’t see the Rangers getting more than 1 top prospect and MAYBE 2 lottery ticket type arms or bats, and 1-2 throw in depth pieces that may or may not touch the majors. Best case scenario for Rangers right there.
Regarding your comment about teams de-valuing batting average, or lets say putting the ball into play….why not ask Baltimore what they think of Chris Davis and his indicator of performance.
Lottery ticket….my lord! Gallo may in fact have value but is a long way from being considered a lottery ticket for an acquiring team. Again Chris Davis is the best example of long term investment into a power hitter, who strikes out a lot, doesn’t walk, but can hit them a mile when he makes contact.
Baltimore would sell their souls to get that contract back and Gallo could be the same mistake!
The Chris Davis who carried a 840 OPS and 125 OPS+ over the 6 year stretch from 2012-2017, but has snice fallen off the 30 year old cliff in his age 32 season?
Is your argument that Gallo is only going to hit a ton for the next 5 or 6 seasons then should be expected to age poorly post 30? Sure, I can buy that argument – but what does that have to do with today?
Rangers are the least bit interested in dealing with the Orioles.
Rangers would most likely get 1 top 15 and 2 players in the 30 – 50
Lol! Lay off the kush.
Curious if they’d be interested in a player like Renfroe from the Padres to play RF. Padres haters, don’t worry, I’m not saying Renfroe will bring back triston McKenzie or anything… But Renfroe has a pretty good year last year as a rookie, has SERIOUS power, and will hit for a much better average than Gallo. Padres management likes to play roulette and platoon at just about every position… so this season, Renfroe hasn’t received anything even close to regular playing time. Play one day, sit two, play two, sit one, play one, sit one… and on and on…
I think, and a lot of Padres fans think, he could really help a team who plays him regularly.
Wondering what a return might be, IF the Indians were interested. They certainly need outfield help, so that drives the price up a tad since it’s an obvious need. Maybe someone like a Lenny Torres or Elijah Morgan coming back? Thoughts?
I honestly expected them to make Renfroe a piece of the Hand trade so it wouldn’t surprise me if he has already been discussed. Wouldn’t be a deal for either of them I think.
I was surprised he wasn’t involved also. Seems like a good fit.
Renfroe get on base no better, and for his career even worse, than Gallo and has no where near the power.
That isn’t to say a team may not be interested in him, but one would have to imagine Gallo is the preferred target
Renfroe’s a spare. OBP under .300 last 2 years combined and horrible defense. Barely above replacement level.
…. and Gallo has a batting average below the Mendoza line the last two years combined
And all the 1908 sports writers keep attacking him for that low batting average in their local edition news reels?
Technically it (.1995) would be rounded up to .200
But yeah, he’s Mendoza line material. I’ll post a wiki link on Mario below this. Good read if he was before your time. Lot of stuff in there that I forgot.
And to be linked to George Brett! How can you forget that.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Mendoza
And I guess you consider yourself the new wave of fan and baseball expert?
Ohhhh you’re one of the “let me show you this new formula where I take whatever statistics I need to make me look right”… kind of fan. My bad. Thought I was talking to a baseball person.
“A walk is as good as a hit”…. only it’s not.
Yes, this “new formula” which focuses on “getting on base and powering yourself around the bases” that has been the determining factor for true value over the last 25 or so years of studying the history of the game – as opposed to the “old formula” that was all the rage before computers became readily available
Renfroe crushes lefties but doesn’t hit that well against righties. Indians already have that in Guyer. So not sure that’s a fit/need.
Gallo is Dave Kingman-minus, minus. Kingman was an extreme flyball hitter who crushed the ball all over the place, struck out a ton and had a terrible BA and also pretty shabby OBP. he hung around long enough to nearly 450HR’s probably because his power was not strictly pull. I admit it’s really fun watching Gallo, but how long is he going to last? Adam Dunn walked a bunch like him and had all that power, but once again the power wasn’t strictly to RF-CF. I’m wary of this guy.
He has nearly a .350 wOBA over the last 2 years. 66 home runs with 2 months left. .225 BABIP this year, .250 last…
Big deal and nothing personal intended there. Chris Carter hit 65 HR over a 2yr period, yet only had 4yr of any use altogether and was washed up for good.
It’s like I posted above.. Baseball history is full of guys who came upon the scene.. Bashed for 2-4 seasons and vanished and Gallo is more pull happy than ANY that i can remember.
Chris Carter had a 114 ops+ over a 5 year stretch then fell off the 30 year old cliff – how is that remotely comparable to a 24 year old?
Unless you’re saying Gallo should be expected to hit like this for at least the next 5 years?
Joey Gallo ‘s defense is not bad and he can play multiple positions. Dave Kingman’s defense would help lose games at LF and 1B. I think Gallo more belongs in the same class of player as Carlos Pena and Jose Hernandez.
Oh sure, just what the Tribe needs, another left handed bat in the outfield.
I am leaning towards this being a false rumor.
I think Texas is finally realizing you can’t have a lineup filled with swing and miss mentality. IMO it would be great to see Bradley Zimmer for Gallo. Gallo would give Cleveland some extra punch while Texas would get a well rounded controllable CF to put out there next year.
Cleve wouldn’t trade Zimmer for Gallo.
No. Just no.
No doubt, Zimmer would be a tremendous asset in the Ranger starting lineup, but it would take more than Gallo to get the deal done.
Might be good for Gallo’s career. Another team could teach him how to make more productive contact. His launch angle looks ridiculous on tv (I know unscientific). I am suspect about the Rangers hitting gurus. Change of scenery cure?
As someone who has faithfully watched Rangers baseball for 25 years, I can tell you their recent string of hitting coaches have been a mess. Iopace is the worst of them. They preach slug it over the fence or take a walk. The only hitters who have continued to maintain/improve their skill set is the veterans like Beltre and Choo whom already fundamentally know their approach to the game.
Thank you!
Charley Lau was a great “hitting coach” for the KC Royals in the 70’s and 80’s as well as “Clint Hurdle” who learned from the late great Lau. Believe Hurdle is managing the Pirates, but if he ever get’s fired, the Rangers should bring him back to tutor Gallo. I have been a Rangers fan since 1959 when they were in the American Association and PCL. I know what I am talking about.
I would have agreed with you a month ago but Odor finally bought into what Iopace has been saying and has been on fire as of late by finally not trying to hit a homer every time up.
He just needs a very effective batting coach to turn him around.
The Phillies seem intent to make some noise, but a wise man once said, walk soft and carry a big stick. That said, maybe the best move is to save our assets and let this team, develop.
I’m surprised gallo is getting interest all he does is hit homers or strikeout. Plus his defense is awful.
Hey big “sluggers” generate “ticket sales.”
I’d rather see the Phils allow Williams to develop by playing every day. Maybe Gallo is marginally better, but we kinda know what Gallo’s ceiling is by now, right? He is what he is. Williams might develop into something more. Williams has played well since being given the chance to play every day. Sends a bad message to the club to reward that my trading for Gallo. Just like they backed off Moustakis due to Franco playing well, they need to stay away from Gallo. If Williams fails, sign Brantley in the off season. That guy is actually a MLB hitter.
Exactly, I don’t get the Williams hate. He played well last year, and has played well since starting everyday. He’s a better all around player than Gallo.
The Phillies have a Joey Gallo in the minors. Cozens can hit moon shots and strike out at record levels too.
Brantley – as good as he is – is another injury waiting to happen. Very fragile.
Wish the braves were at least a little more active.
Check in on Calhoun of the Angels. Starting to hit again and a hold glove outfielder. I’m an Angels fan but trades need to happen since the team is going nowhere right now.
There’s no way the Rangers trade Gallo within their division
Oh I meant for the phillies and indians who are looking for help
Wouldn’t mind having some of those Astros prospects sitting down in the minors with no hope of ever cracking that standout Astro major league roster. Hell yeah, I would trade within division.
The Indians should stay away from Gallo, and call the Cardinals about Tommy Pham. They should be able to get him for a package of Nolan Jones and 1 or 2 pitching prospects around there top 15-30 prospects.
Gallo has power and he might be able to adjust his swing/show patience to lessen his SO rate. I don’t want to hear other teams trying to lowball for him though. Gonna need to ante up some top prospects.
What your proposing is ludicris. If he reduces his swing and miss? Really almost 40 percent of the time is horrible. 25 percent is extremely high your not gonna get top prospect for adam dunn 2.0 bro sorry to burst your bubble.
madmanTX…..”he might be able to adjust his swing/show patience to lessen his SO rate”….then why hasn’t he? He has been in pro ball for 7 years. He was shuttled back and forth between MLB and MiLB to try and get a clue and he never has. Anyone that antes up “top prospects” as you said is a fool.
Gallo approaches the “batters box” in a very immature fashion. All he can see is the anticipated “light show with fireworks” every time he makes that big HR cut! His adrenal is so pumped he can’t see straight. Maybe a good hitting coach can corral his immense talents and get him to temper that “all for nothing” swing?
Gallo is very talented – it goes without saying! If some batting coach can show the patience and work on his swing habits, he will turn out okay! If Rangers make him available, they should get quality in return on potential alone.
Hard to say hoskins is a revelation when he has a .6 war through half the season. Hiting .260 and not being very good defensively. If anything there pitching as been there calling card, Media trying too hard to hype up the phillies.
He may as well change his name to Adam Dunn if he starts doing 40 hr .200 every year. Can you really play a guy like this? Even Trumbo hits .250 so what happens if his power numbers dip? He wont be on the roster.
Article doesn’t talk much about his defense, great outfield arm and he runs well. He’s so young that you hope he gets that K rate under 30 percent. He would be a solid pllayer.
imindless that’s according to baseball reference. As someone who sees him play everyday I can say quite confidently that Hoskins is worth more than .6 WAR. He’s more in line with Fangraphs current 2 WAR valuation. He’s also he 6 bombs in the last 7 games and has probably been the team’s most clutch hitter this year. Just food for thought.
The power that Gallo brings is definitely intriguing. Remember that even as great a year that Aaron Judge had last year he struck out 16 times in his 20 at bats during last year’s ALDS. The downside I see is that he’s another left handed batter. Oh that we could find a right handed power bat for the outfield.
No reason to trade unless we get something big in return. Which teams won’t do right now. Can not sell low on a young, controllable 40+ HR bat.
As a Texas Fan, I’d trade him to anyone. Worst clutch hitter on the team. Can’t tell you how many times he has struck out in a critical situation. Williams and De Los Santos would get it done for me in Philly. Would love to have Bieber or Zimmer from Cleveland.
Nick Williams? The last thing the Phillies need is a player who strikes out a ton.
Honestly, Gallo – with all his prodigious power – is actually a luxury they can least afford. He would better off with a team who have surplus “power hitters” that would take the pressure off Gallo when he takes his bat. Rangers need “contact” hitters in the worst case. They rate near the top in the LOB category. That would make a lot of sense.