The Yankees announced this afternoon they’ve agreed to terms with 11 of their 12 arbitration-eligible players. Among them is All-Star outfielder Joey Gallo, whom Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (Twitter link) settled for $10.275MM.
That’s right in line with the $10.2MM projection of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Gallo will avoid a hearing during his final trip through the process, as he’s slated to hit free agency at the end of the season. The 28-year-old bounced back from a rough showing in the 2020 shortened campaign to hit .223/.379/.490 through last season’s first few months in Texas. Upon being dealt to the Yankees, however, he slumped to a .160/.303/.404 mark.
If he can regain his first-half form in the Bronx, Gallo would line up as one of the top players in next year’s free agent class. Teammate Aaron Judge will likely be even more coveted, though — if he makes it to the open market. Judge is going through arbitration for a final time this offseason, and the Yankees have maintained they’ll soon initiate extension talks with the three-time All-Star.
They’ll do so with some uncertainty about how much money Judge will make in 2022, however. He was the only of the Yankees’ arb-eligible players not to come to terms with the team today. Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reports (Twitter link) that Judge filed for a $21MM salary while the team offered him $17MM. (Swartz’s $17.1MM projection came in much closer to the team’s filing figure than to the player’s). They didn’t close that gap, and it seems they could be headed for a hearing to determine his ultimate price point.
If Judge and the Yankees agree on a long-term deal in the coming weeks, that’ll prove moot. If they don’t, the 29-year-old’s salary for the upcoming season will likely be chosen by an arbitrator. If it goes to a hearing, the third-party would unilaterally set Judge’s salary at either his desired $21MM or the team’s offered $17MM, not at any sort of midpoint. The Yankees and Judge’s camp could continue to kick around a possible settlement until the hearing begins if they so desire.
I’d pay money just to see this guy hit the other way.
Nah, I’ll take the .870 OPS
Oh stop with the ops.. and all the other bs. The guy was horrendous with the Yankees. He’ll break the record for strike outs, run into a home run every once in a while, but some of you will take that “ops”. Good for you.
Stop with OPS? So disregard an incredibly important stat? Ignorance is bliss or something? Getting on base pretty valuable, ya know?
Wow. I’ve read a metric ton of nonsensically stupid drivel on here but this takes the cake.
As a girl?
@DonnyElementary- sounds kinky
Among the most unwatchable hitters in MLB
Sad when .220 is considered a bounce back.
Sad when in 2021 fans still think you can judge a player based on one stat.
The non-agreement with Judge feels almost like a negotiating tactic related to a potential longer-term deal. Also, feels like Judge should be worth more than $17MM. He puts up 5 WAR seasons even if he only plays 120 games.
How the standards have fallen. The writer said Gallo’bounced back’ to hit .226. And don’t tell me batting average doesn’t matter. It’s very rare to score runs without hitting the ball.
It’s not that standards have fallen, the game has just changed. OBP is important. An OBP of .330 based on hits is better than an OBP of .330 based on walks. But there just aren’t that many .300 hitters these days. Too many K’s, not enough emphasis on putting the ball in play… so in that sense, aesthetic standards have dropped perhaps, but the value is the same.
I agree. Saying batting average doesn’t matter is certainly misleading or plain ignorance. Of course it does. But using it alone is just like using any other stat alone – so, it must be taken in context to know it’s true value.
As Cosmo illustrates cogently, OBP is probably the most important, because getting on base is what the hitter’s ultimate goal is, and half of OPS, the general, overall metric used to (generally) determine a hitter’s effectiveness.
@Cosmo and Clipper, yup. Picking a single stat will undervalue the totality of Gallo’s contributions. He’s a good player with long stretches of ugly ABs. With that in mind, I’m having a martini before every Gallo AB so expect I will be checking into Trembling Hills rehab by October.
Yankee fans seem to really struggle to look at glove first players in the correct context.
& make no mistake. We have a whole lot of glove first players now; Kiner-Falefa, Rizzo, Gallo, Higashioka, Rortvedt… & what are we doing with 4th OF?
I know it’s not easy for me either. But some of the young scofflaws on the board got me looking at Gallo as a “glove first player.” He *is* an elite fielder. Who happens to have a career OPS over .800 & is a lock for 40 jacks in The Stadium. In that light – if you can find it – he’s a pretty good player.
Very different Yankee lineup from our usual, man.
@ Ducky – I can appreciate that pitching and defense wins championships but somewhere you have to get some run support. The Yankee pitching staff is going to need 4 runs a game on average.
The holes in the lineup from catcher, second, short, center and left isn’t going to help you get those 4 runs a game.
Oh, I understand what you’re saying.
Sure do, @Pernell.
I am not worried about second. We just need one of DJ or Gleyber to rebound. That strikes me as a fairly safe wager.
& I don’t mind the shape of Gallo’s production. He is a big LH power bat & I hated when we didn’t have him. I understand if you can’t overcome some of his offensive stats. Doesn’t bother me though.
Found this the other day:
Gary Sanchez 2022: 383 AB 23 HR
Kyle Higashioka career: 387 AB 20 HR
Higgy can give us something.
& CF…well…I guess we’re hoping Hicks can play some games. This is the tough one for me right now. In theory, Hicks would be fine. So hard to count on him though.
I guess I don’t see quite as few holes.
Yeah, Ducky, you’ve really changed my thinking in that way….Baez too – Looking at his hitting as a glove-first player he’s a very good glove-first hitter.
Gallo is excellent on the Yankees, just what we need, in fact, IF the rest of the roster is structured correctly. See, the way I’ve come to view the Gallo problem is: Gallo isn’t the problem – Cashman’s roster construction & Hal’s “step over a dollar to save a penny” finances are the problems.
Gallo is exactly what he was supposed to be. We just needed more than what he could be because it doesn’t exist where it’s supposed to, which isn’t Gallo’s fault.
That said, Joey Gallo, can you please level your swing ten degrees and it will save you about 30 strikeouts per year? You’re a 6’20” monster who can hit the ball in the seats regardless of your launch angle, bro. More contact= more home runs, as long as they aren’t grounders.
While it’s not a stacked Bomber team, it’s far from a weak lineup. And if needed, I’m sure it will get addressed at the trade deadline if not much sooner.
I think you have the measure of it, @FSF.
In particular, addressing it at the deadline. Cash had a nice one last summer. & perhaps we have some of the answers just laying around on our own roster.
One example: isn’t it time to see if Florial can make enough contact to be that LH power/speed bat he is supposed to be? How much more “development” can he possibly need yet? I would rather give him a shot than Tim Locastro, uh?
@Ducky I get the feeling that Higgy is nothing but an adequate backup. He subs in and hits three homers in a game. Great! But we’ve seen him play prolonged stretches and can’t hit a lick. His bat is going to get exposed with any regular playing time.
FSF, the Yankees have not been big spenders at the deadline in recent years. I’m hoping that changes in 2022 since they’ll be over the luxury tax threshold already. Last year they were trying to stay under. No such need or excuse this year. The Braves were the latest team to show that some key midseason acquisitions–and ones that basically only required money–can make a significant difference.
Yeah.
He seems like a BUC to me as well. I looked at B-Ref & Savant. The only offensive stat that I found promising was the one I posted.
Decent chance his OPS doesn’t break .600. It will be ugly at the plate in general. He’ll hit some home runs though. Not much else to get excited about.
Ducky,
Don’t understand why the Yankees didn’t try Gallo in CF last year when it would have helped the team and maybe taken the pressure of his lack hitting. In my opinion, Gallo is a 7th or 8th place hitter on a true contender.
We really need a 4th outfielder! What do you think of signing Michael Conforto as our left fielder and using Gallo and Hicks in CF?
Nor do I, Mick.
As a matter of fact, I thought we had traded for him to specifically play CF. He had played some in Texas. Instead we went with Judge.
I am a bit higher than that on him. Think he’s fine 6th or 7th. My guess is he is going to be slotted in the 6 spot. & 40 home runs is pretty good production from there.
But that’s one of the big reasons why I was hoping for Contreras. He would bat 6th, sliding Gallo down, thus giving us some real thunder in the bottom of the order.
I keep hoping. & waiting.
I agree with you both. Gallo is a plus defender in CF so there’s no reason not to put him there. Move the oft-injured Hicks to 4th injured.
Regardless of OBP, the facts are that Gallo sucked for NY last year. He only hit .160 after joining them while playing in a hitter friendly division and hitter friendly hime stadium. I’m actually surprised that NY did not DFA him, but it looks like the Yankees don’t care about the CBT this season so I guess it makes sense to bring him back for his defense and his potential to hit 40+ HRs. At least they got rid of Sanchez so they won’t have 4 players who will approach 200 K’s this season.
I’ll indulge in your poor trollling and ramblings. A 226 at-bat, second-half sample size be damned. They absolutely do care about the CBT. IKF wouldn’t be the starting SS otherwise. I’d bet Bloom would do a Gallo-JBJ plus cash deal in a heartbeat.
Hey, that’s approximately $50,000 per strikeout! Great allocation of resources, Cash!!
Gross
There’s gotta be an Umberto’s joke here somewhere
If Gallo can have a bounce back season for the Yankees it would really help a lot to remedy their offensive woes and unimpressive offseason thus far.Just don’t know what to expect from him.
According to the article, last year was a bounce back for Gallo.
I don’t think they really care if they sign judge ,if they don’t sign him they’ll just move on and just sign some inferior player to make up for it. Steinbrenner said himself he’s a business guy not a baseball guy
Yahoo reported that all Yankee players in arbitration have come to an agreement except for Your Honor.
Maybe it’s all persepective. Gallo is a Gold Glove CF that can hit 30+ HR’s. He had a 4.7 WAR in 2021 despite the K’s and low BA.
Gallo is the prime example of why WAR is a joke and a meaningless stat. This guy is awful at the plate and strikes out around 40% of his ABs. Walks have become way too important to the mathletes who put together these evaluation equations.
This guy is making $10+ million to hit and drive in runs, not walk. I wish the Yanks had never traded for this stiff
He was pretty good for the rangers last year but fell off a cliff for New York. He probably earned most of that in Texas.
I wouldn’t say WAR is meaningless but it shouldn’t be used as the sole way to determine a player’s value. Batting average isn’t everything but if you are hitting under 230 I really don’t care how much you walk because you are not putting the ball in play when there are runners on the bags. Admittedly Gallo is a drag when he steps up to the plate and it’s so hard to watch. He’s decent in the outfield though.
Dusty, would you rather have a player K with runners on? (Obviously not). Drawing a walk with runners on moves the line AND adds a base runner. It’s INCREDIBLY valuable. I’ll take a .220 BA with a .370 OBP with power any day.
WAR is a meaningless stat? Ok. It’s incomplete, needs context. But calling it meaningless just shows your ignorance. But whatever, have fun dismissing the professional work of experts in favor of your own assumptions.
If Hal is the businessman he proposes to be, then he knows that you make money when folks pay to see the team. Aaron Judge is the type of player that puts fans in the stands and in front of their screens watching ballgames. Judge is a business investment as much or moreso than a baseball investment. All rise..
Gallo racks up strikeouts like Tony Gwynn got hits. Literally.
Crave,
Gallo’s been a full-time starter for 5 seasons and he’s reached the 100-hit mark once. Pretty incredible.
If Hal wants to save some money, the first thing he should take away is the weight room. Chiseled bodies look great, but those taught muscles can be a bit brittle for baseball players.
Gallo is absolutely one of the worst everyday hitters I’ve ever seen. He somehow had a ops under 810 despite all of those walks and home runs !!! He’s so bad that last season could legit have been his career year. He is a legit example of why “WAR” is a joke stat. I bet those ridiculous defensive metrics bloat it too
Understand it better. There’s a reason why the owners during lockout negotiations proposed using Fangraph’s WAR to determine pre- free agency player salaries.
I can’t stand war because it makes plenty of mediocre players seem better than they really are. Jason he heard is a prime example
Heywards W.A.R has been horrendous since joining the cubs. He had a career year with the cards which he will never come close to replicating. Horrible contract.
It feels like you might be underestimating the 38 HRs and GG.
I’m seeing a lot of that.
Joey Gallo can play all the OF positions, 1B and 3B. That’s what makes him so valuable.
GarryHarris – And all the strikeouts and inability to hit for even a poor average is what negates that fielding value. He is better suited as a late inning defensive replacement.
The guy represents the problems with Baseball that MLB doesn’t want to acknowledge because they prefer HRs over actual action on the field.
The guy complains that the shift is taking hits away from him. As a professional hitter, in a game that is all about adjustments, you have to make adjustments yourself. If the defense is always on the right side of the field, work on hitting the opposite direction or at least work on bunting to the empty section of the field so that you’ll get more hits. I’m not trying to say it’s easy to make the change but he’s supposed to be a professional hitter in the top baseball league in the world. If he can’t make adjustments, maybe he doesn’t deserve to be here. Eventually, the defense won’t want to give him easy base hits and adjust their positioning.
Better yet, hit it over the short porch and you don’t need to worry about any “shifts”.
Gallo can’t make the adjustments because he’s a meathead. He just swings from his heels every AB. Same for most of the players in MLB these days.
Everybody wants to hit a booming HR once every few days instead of making contact and moving runners around the bases. I’m really hoping some young players come along in the mold of Wade Boggs, Rod Carew, etc, that gets the game back to a balanced, exciting product like it used to be.
Pitchers are really good. Almost every pen has several guys hitting high 90s or triple digits. Balls hit in play are hit right into a shift, especially for left-handed hitters. Hitting the ball over the shift/wall is a strategy. I agree, it is harder on the eyes than we would like, but it isn’t just guys swing from heels. It’s lots of things that contribute to the outcome.
Hitting the ball over the shift is Gallo’s ONLY strategy. Very predictable. His occasional HR is not an advantage. He is nothing more than a Dave Kingman with a better glove.
@baseballclassic – Nick Madrigal might be the young player you are looking for. The White Sox were dumb enough to trade him to the Cubs because he didn’t fit today’s WAR and other advanced metrics profile but this kid is a true singles and doubles hitter to all fields. If he continues to develop and stay healthy for a full season, he could be a guy who wins multiple batting titles but the metrics still won’t ‘reward’ him because he doesn’t hit for power. Give me a Madrigal any day of the week vs. someone who hits .210-.230 but ends up with the same or slightly higher WAR. They are much more exciting players to watch as they can actually hit like a professional.
@Dorothy_Mantooth
Yes, I really like Nick and at least in his first year of MLB, he’s shown a lot of promise. He has got a nice K% and sure the ISO isn’t there but not everyone can be a slugger. I think two things that would improve his game is to increase the BB% and the SB, as he has decent speed. If he does that, he could be a decent leadoff hitter for the Cubs.
How about they avoid Gallo period?
@GoYanks- no we’re just not going to do that. How bout showing some support instead? Last season was Joey’s lst year in the pinstripes! Smh
I think that the Yankees will re-sign Judge seven years $210 million. Of course, I thought that the Atlanta ball club would re-sign Freeman for 6 years and $165 million with none deferred. (Years 1 to 5 at $29 million, with year 6 at $20 million, and an opt out available between years 5 and 6).
And I am just now a Joey Gallo fan. Not saying he is getting paid too much, just I would sooner have, say Chris Taylor or Trent Grisham, than Gallo.
A healthy Gallo playing 150 games of elite defense and 40 hr is fine. He’s just too inconsistent to hit in the top half of a good lineup and I am not giving him a 9 figure contract.
P.s. if hicks is unproductive I would just stick Gallo in CF for the season and forgetaboutit.
Hey Mr. Gallo can always stay, just as long as I get my $35 million a year! I don’t really care.
I know a lot of people don’t care for Gallo. I’m desperately hoping the Rangers are going to bring him back next season. He’s great for the locker room. Banning the shift is only going to help him bring that average up (albeit probably not a significant amount) and he’s got a top rate glove. Not to mention he genuinely loved being a Texas Ranger and we don’t get many guys like that to be honest.
Joey Gallo, jerry Callo, no difference he could be called Chris Davis II
Arguably Gallo’s best season is the one where he hit .199
Huh?
It was a “My Cousin Vinny” reference. And considering Joey’s name, pretty apropos.
Ah
Folks, we’re all disgusted as Yankee fans with Gallo’s performance last year. But let’s remember that he had his worst run as a hitter in his career during that time. Coming to NY, especially in midseason, can’t necessarily be an easy adjustment for everyone, especially coming from a place like Arlington, TX. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
That fund of misinformation Jon Heyman is now reporting that the Yankees are working on an extension for Gallo.
Happily, it’s Heyman. However, if he’s right for a change, it would be profoundly stupid to do that before they’ve had a full season to see if Gallo can hack it in pinstripes. And even if he can get the walks and home runs back to his Texas pace, is it wise to add another long-term contract to a high-strikeout player? At least wait and see if his game is productive in the context of the Bronx.
But it is Heyman.
Well…to be honest, I would have no problem extending Gallo. I thoroughly understand why some folks would not.
But: he is a helpful player. I am fine turning LF over to him. However, as it is Heyman (as you aptly note & even more aptly re-note) you & I are wasting internet ink.
He’s a helpful player, but other potentially helpful players have had some difficulty once the fair-minded fans in the Bronx turned on them. A certain catcher comes to mind.
I think we both understand the value of a plus fielder with speed who gets on base and hits for power. But you need only survey this comments thread to verify the commonplace hatred of strikeouts — and Joey is going to provide them aplenty.
It could get ugly.
Damn.
Good catch. I get it. A point I’d not considered. As someone who cannot fathom wanting to play elsewhere….well, that had sort of remained ignored. Ya know?
Also: there is something about all that that I strongly dislike.
Me too.