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Reds GM Krall: Brandon Drury Extension “Not On The Table”

By Mark Polishuk | August 1, 2022 at 9:06pm CDT

Brandon Drury has widely been seen as one of the top trade candidates of deadline season, and the Reds infielder seems even more likely to change teams now that a contract extension doesn’t appear to be happening.  As Reds GM Nick Krall told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, a long-term deal between Drury and the Reds is “not on the table as of right now.”

It frankly would’ve counted as a surprise if an extension was signed, for a variety of factors.  The Reds have already traded Luis Castillo and Tommy Pham as the latest in a series of cost-cutting/rebuilding moves, and it stands to reason that Drury (a free agent after the season) was a natural next piece to be moved, particularly since Drury has drawn interest from at least four teams to date.

2022 has also been easily Drury’s best full season as a Major Leaguer, as he entered today’s action with 20 home runs and a .275/.336/.523 slash line over 381 plate appearances.  Drury has more than delivered on the minor league contract he signed with the Reds back in March, which could be another reason why a trade is likelier than an extension — Cincinnati might prefer to sell high on Drury, rather than commit some notable money to a late bloomer who is just weeks away from his 30th birthday.

Still, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal raised the possibility of a Drury extension in a notes column yesterday.  It isn’t uncommon for teams to engage in some last-minute extension talks with pending free agents in advance of the trade deadline, as just in case the player is open to more of a team-friendly deal to stay in town.  Given Drury’s lack of a proven track record, he might well have been amenable to an extension, in order to lock in some guaranteed money and some stability after playing for five teams in eight MLB seasons.

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Cincinnati Reds Brandon Drury

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Rays, Giants Swap Ford Proctor For Jeremy Walker

By Mark Polishuk | August 1, 2022 at 8:58pm CDT

The Rays and Giants have combined on a trade of minor leaguers, with right-hander Jeremy Walker heading to Tampa Bay and catcher/infielder Ford Proctor going to the Giants.  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Proctor had been dealt, while The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome reported Walker’s involvement in the trade.

Walker’s MLB experience consists of 9 1/3 innings with the Braves in 2019, and the righty has a 3.91 ERA over 439 2/3 minor league innings since Atlanta made him a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft.  Working mostly as a starter in his first three pro seasons, Walker made a successful transition to relief pitching in 2019 that resulted in his first Major League call-up.  However, he didn’t pitch at all in 2020-21 due to the canceled minor league season and a shoulder impingement.

There is clearly some rust still to be worked off after Walker’s long layoff, as he has struggled to a 6.99 ERA over 37 1/3 combined innings (35 1/3 in Triple-A, two in Double-A) in 2022.  While his 23.2% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate are nothing special, Walker has been allowing a ton of hits, and a .390 BABIP indicates some level of bad luck for the 27-year-old.

Given Tampa Bay’s successes in pitching development, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Walker get back on track in a new organization.  In exchange, the Rays are giving up a third-rounder from the 2018 draft in Proctor, who was ranked 19th on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top 30 prospects in Tampa’s farm system.  Dealing Proctor also opens up a spot on the Rays’ 40-man roster, which hints at future moves to come before tomorrow’s trade deadline.

Proctor hit well in A-ball in 2019 and at Double-A in 2021, and also posted some good numbers in the Australian Baseball League and in indy ball in 2020 in lieu of a proper minor league season.  In 2022, however, Proctor has hit a modest .213/.329/.306 over 317 PA at Triple-A Durham, his first taste of Triple-A pitching.

Perhaps best known for his unusual defensive profile, Proctor was drafted an infielder but started catching in 2020.  Proctor has started 52 games behind the plate for Durham this season while also making 10 starts as a third baseman, one start as a shortstop, and four appearances as a second baseman.  The Giants are known to prize defensive versatility, and Proctor’s ability to act as more than just a traditional backup catcher could allow him to carve out a path to a spot on a big league roster.

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San Francisco Giants Tampa Bay Rays Transactions Ford Proctor Jeremy Walker

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Matt Joyce Retires

By Mark Polishuk | August 1, 2022 at 8:00pm CDT

After 14 Major League seasons, outfielder Matt Joyce has officially retired just two days in advance of his 38th birthday.  Joyce played with the Phillies in 2021 but was released after the year, and he told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he waited a few months into the 2022 campaign to see if he could land any offers from non-independent teams.

When those offers didn’t come, Joyce closed the book on a career that saw him suit up for eight different teams over the course of an even 1400 career games.  Spending the last half of his career bouncing around the majors, he played one season each with the Phillies, Marlins, Braves, Pirates, Angels, and Tigers, while playing two seasons with the Athletics and six seasons with the Rays.

The left-handed hitting Joyce was never able to muster much production against left-handed pitching over his career, which often relegated him to platoon or bench duties.  However, he carved out a comfortable niche for himself as a righty-masher, with a .251/.353/.444 career slash line against right-handed pitching.  Joyce was also one of the more prominent pinch-hitters in baseball history, as his 369 career plate appearances as a pinch-hitter ranks sixth on the all-time list.

A 12th-round pick for the Tigers in the 2006 draft, Joyce made his big league debut with Detroit in 2008 before being dealt to the Rays for (speaking of prominent journeymen) Edwin Jackson in December 2008.  It was a homecoming for the Tampa native Joyce, and he told Topkin that his stint with the Rays “probably means the most to me, looking back.  Just being from here, being raised here, playing here, making the playoffs three out of the five (full) years that I was up with the team.  A lot of really cool memories, a lot of really cool highlights.  That was special, for sure.”

Joyce’s Rays tenure peaked with the 2011 season, when he hit .277/.347/.478 with 19 home runs and was named to his only All-Star team.  For his entire career, Joyce finishes with a .242/.342/.425 slash line and 149 homers over 4355 plate appearances.

“I definitely feel good, and I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish,” Joyce said.  “I think overcoming the biggest trials and failures is really what I’m most proud of.  That ultimately shows a lot about a person, a lot about an athlete.  The fact that they’re just willing to kind of grind and persevere and continue to fail, but you continue to get back up again.  So, yeah, I’m definitely proud of my career.”

We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Joyce on a fine career, and wish him the best in his post-baseball endeavors.

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Oakland Athletics Tampa Bay Rays Matt Joyce Retirement

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Guardians Select Will Benson

By Mark Polishuk | August 1, 2022 at 7:29pm CDT

The Guardians have selected Will Benson’s contract from Triple-A Columbus, putting the outfielder in line to make his Major League debut.  In corresponding moves, outfielder Alex Call was optioned to Triple-A, while Anthony Gose was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.

Benson was selected 14th overall by Cleveland in the 2016 draft, but after posting decent but unspectacular numbers in the minors, his prospect stock gradually fell to the point that neither MLB Pipelin or Baseball America list Benson as one of the Guards’ top 30 minor leaguers.  However, Benson seems to have turned a corner in his sixth pro season, and is hitting .279/.426/.522 with 17 home runs over 401 plate appearances in Columbus this year.

While this production comes with the caveat of a .340 BABIP, Benson’s 22.7% strikeout rate is far and away a career low, and is a good sign that the 24-year-old has corrected a longstanding issue in making consistent contact.  If this problem has really been solved, Benson can now better unlock his natural power and bat speed, and might even have some five-tool potential.  Benson also has a strong throwing arm that has mostly placed him in right field throughout his career (but he has seen time in left and center as well), and he has good speed that has allowed him to steal 86 bases in 108 opportunities.

The outfield has long been a weak link in Cleveland, yet the Guardians have now established Steven Kwan and Myles Straw as everyday options in left and center field.  Right field is still a question mark, but top prospect Nolan Jones and the unheralded Oscar Gonzalez have both played well at the position, with Franmil Reyes, Josh Naylor, and Kwan also getting a handful of games in right.  Gonzalez is on a minor league rehab assignment after missing a month due to an intercostal strain, so it is possible Benson might just be a short-term callup until Gonzalez is healthy.

In terms of other lineup openings, Naylor has been slowed by a balky ankle lately, though he is healthy enough to DH.  Reyes has seen the bulk of DH action but he also struggled for much of the 2022 season.  If the Guardians wanted more pop in the lineup, Reyes might lose playing time for other players getting rotated into the DH role, which could create more opportunity for a youngster like Benson to establish himself.

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Cleveland Guardians Transactions Alex Call Anthony Gose Will Benson

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Giants Acquire Dixon Machado From Cubs

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2022 at 10:55pm CDT

3:15PM: The Giants announced the trade to reporters, including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, with minor league righty Raynel Espinal going the other way. The 30-year-old made his MLB debut last year, logging just two innings for the Red Sox. The Giants signed him to a minor league deal for this year, with Espinal working as a starter in Triple-A. In 19 games, he has thrown 81 1/3 innings with a 5.29 ERA. He has an impressive 27.6% strikeout rate for the year but below-average walk and ground ball rates of 10.3% and 39%.

As expected, Thairo Estrada was placed on the concussion IL to make room for Machado on the active roster, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com was among those to relay. To make room on the 40-man roster, righty Tobias Myers was designated for assignment. Myers began the season with the Guardians but went to the Giants in a trade earlier this month. Between the two clubs, he’s thrown 63 innings in Triple-A this year with a 6.14 ERA.

2:42PM: The Giants have officially acquired Machado, Morosi reports.  ESPN’s Jesse Rogers adds the interesting detail that Machado requested a trade, likely in order to land on a team that could offer him big league playing time.

2:09PM: The Giants are looking to acquire infielder Dixon Machado from the Cubs, as MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link) reports that the two sides are in talks.  It isn’t known if this could be part of a larger multi-player swap, or if Machado would be the primary player involved.

It is quite possible it could be a cash-considerations type of minor move, as Machado hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2018.  The Giants are also in particular need of shortstop help, as injuries have drastically thinned out their shortstop depth chart at both the Major and minor league levels.  Brandon Crawford is on the 10-day injured list recovering from a knee injury, while Thairo Estrada was hit in the head by a pitch yesterday and is expected to be placed on the seven-day concussion IL.

After appearing in 172 games with the Tigers from 2015-18, Machado has since played with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in both 2019 and 2022, with two seasons with the KBO League’s Lotte Giants sandwiched in between.  Over those four years, Machado posted some solid averages and developed a knack for getting on base, even if his power was sporadic at best (though he did hit 17 home runs during the homer-happy 2019 Triple-A season).

This year at Triple-A Iowa, Machado has hit .312/.402/.394 with two homers and 10 steals (in 13 chances) over 391 plate appearances.  While Machado has played as a shortstop for the vast majority of his pro career, the 30-year-old has also seen some action at second and third base, making him a good fit for the Giants’ preferred model of versatile players.

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Chicago Cubs San Francisco Giants Transactions Dixon Machado Raynel Espinal Thairo Estrada Tobias Myers

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NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Mahle, Drury, Quintana, Blue Jays, Sosa

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2022 at 2:53pm CDT

The Cardinals’ search for starting pitching has taken them inside their division, as MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link) reports that St. Louis is one of the many clubs interested in Reds righty Tyler Mahle.  With the Cards looking at all options for rotation help, it only makes sense that they’d be at least checking in on Mahle’s services.

The Phillies, Twins, and Mets are among the clubs linked to Mahle since the start of the season, while the Rangers also reportedly had interest during the offseason.  With Luis Castillo already off the board, it’s fair to guess that most pitching-needy teams have spoken to the Reds about Mahle, and on paper the Cardinals have the kind of young talent that the Reds would surely demand.  However, it is possible Cincinnati might want a higher price for moving Mahle to a division rival — as Morosi notes, the Reds and Cardinals haven’t completed a player-for-player trade since 1997, so it would count as a surprise on some level if Mahle ended up in St. Louis.

More notes from around the NL Central…

  • Just because Castillo has been traded doesn’t mean the Reds are necessarily likelier to hang onto Mahle, since CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson hears that Mahle and Brandon Drury are expected to both be on new teams after the deadline.  Drury is a free agent after the season and thus an obvious trade chip, though Mahle is still under team control through 2023.  But, it now seems like Cincinnati is going to dive into something close to a full rebuild, a process that really started over the winter when they moved several other veteran talents.
  • The Blue Jays are in the mix for Pirates starter Jose Quintana, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, along with such previously-reported suitors as the Yankees and White Sox.  The veteran left-hander is having a bounce-back season after struggling in 2019-21, and Quintana could help bolster an inconsistent Toronto rotation.  Pirates GM Ben Cherington previously worked in the Jays’ front office, so this familiarity with the AL East side’s prospects could help the Blue Jays in the bidding, though the two sides haven’t completed a player-for-player trade in the two-plus years since Cherington went to Pittsburgh.
  • The Yankees were one of the other teams interested in Edmundo Sosa before the Cardinals dealt Sosa to the Phillies, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.  Sosa would’ve been an interesting depth add to the Yankees’ infield, and it is even possible that Sosa could have worked his way into a timeshare with Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop.
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Cincinnati Reds New York Yankees Notes Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals Toronto Blue Jays Brandon Drury Edmundo Sosa Jose Quintana Tyler Mahle

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Latest On Phillies’ Pitching Search

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2022 at 1:44pm CDT

The Phillies are looking to add a front-of-the-rotation type of arm, with The Athletic’s Jayson Stark (Twitter links) writing that the Phils want “a starter who can start a playoff game.”  To this end, the club has been linked to such arms as the Reds’ Tyler Mahle, the Angels’ Noah Syndergaard, and the Pirates’ Jose Quintana — three of the most prominent starting pitchers remaining on the trade market.

Mahle is controlled through the 2023 season, while Syndergaard and Quintana would be pure rentals as players who are scheduled for free agency this winter.  As such, Mahle would surely cost the most in a trade, and Syndergaard carries a bit of a financial hit, with roughly $7.2MM still owed to him over the remainder of the season.  By contrast, Quintana is owed only around $675K for the rest of 2022, but Quintana also has a shaky track record over the last few seasons before righting himself this year in Pittsburgh.

Dave Dombrowski, Philadelphia’s president of baseball operations, suggested earlier this week that his team was hoping to bolster the rotation, but the Phils were also hesitant about dealing any of their top prospects.  Stark backs up that assertion, noting that the Phillies haven’t been willing to move any of Mick Abel, Andrew Painter or Logan O’Hoppe (the Phils’ consensus top-three prospects in the view of Baseball America and MLB Pipeline), or right-handed pitching propects Griff McGarry or Ben Brown.  BA ranks McGarry fourth and Brown seventh in their ranking of Phillies prospects, while Pipeline is a little less bullish, ranking McGarry eighth and Brown 26th.

Since the Phillies’ system isn’t considered to be too deep overall, it isn’t any surprise that the front office isn’t keen on parting ways with any of the relatively few premium names on hand in the minors.  However, as Stark observes, the Phils will find it difficult to obtain higher-tier pitching unless they’re open to trading prospects.  Given the amount of interest Mahle has received from around the league, and given what the Reds just obtained from the Mariners in the Luis Castillo deal, it would seem almost impossible for the Phillies to land Mahle without at least one of the blue-chip prospects.

Syndergaard and Quintana would come at a lower price tag as rental players, but Stark notes that Dombrowski also prefers controllable starters.  This was Philadelphia’s strategy in landing Kyle Gibson from the Rangers at last year’s deadline, and landing a starter who is controlled through at least 2023 would give the Phillies some cover since Gibson and Zach Eflin could both be free agents this winter.

The rotation seems to be Philadelphia’s top priority at this point, as Stark says that the Phillies aren’t focused on any bullpen moves for the moment.  This is a little surprising given the Phils’ longstanding needs in the relief corps, but it could be that Dombrowski is first exploring his options with the starter market before turning to the (relatively) easier route of adding relievers.  Also, virtually every contender in baseball is looking for relievers right now, so Dombrowski could be opting to make some late strikes after the first wave or two of bullpen trades have been made.

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Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Angels Notes Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates Andrew Painter Griff McGarry Jose Quintana Kyle Gibson Logan O'Hoppe Luis Castillo Mick Abel Noah Syndergaard Tyler Mahle

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Mariners Place Julio Rodriguez, Dylan Moore On 10-Day IL; Ty France To Undergo MRI

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2022 at 12:29pm CDT

The Mariners placed outfielder Julio Rodriguez (right wrist contusion) and utilityman Dylan Moore (back spasms) on the 10-day injured list.  Jarred Kelenic has been called up from Triple-A, and first baseman/outfielder Jack Larsen’s contract has been selected from Double-A.  To make room for Larsen on the 40-man roster, left-hander Anthony Misiewicz has been designated for assignment.

Last night’s 5-4 win over the Astros was a costly victory for the Mariners, as Rodriguez, Moore, and Sam Haggerty (due to a cut on his forehead) all had to leave the game, making Seattle’s late-inning triumph all the more improbable.  If that wasn’t enough, Ty France is also set to undergo an MRI, as his bothersome left wrist injury again flared up late in the game.

Rodriguez’s injury drew the most immediate concern after the star rookie was hit on the right hand while swinging, though x-rays were negative.  Rodriguez is still sore enough that he won’t be able to swing for the next 4-5 days, manager Scott Servais told Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times and other reporters, and thus the IL stint was necessary to both keep the Mariners from being undermanned and to give Rodriguez time to get healthy.

There’s no easy way to replace Rodriguez, who has quickly cemented himself as both the present and future of Seattle baseball.  The outfielder is the heavy favorite to capture AL Rookie Of The Year honors, unless this IL stint lingers or impacts Rodriguez’s production once he does return.  Likewise, France also made the AL All-Star team this year and has basically done nothing but hit since the M’s acquired him from the Padres at the 2020 trade deadline.

Rodriguez and France are the Mariners’ two team leaders in fWAR, so losing at least one and potentially both to injury just prior to the trade deadline leaves Seattle’s front office in a tight spot.  President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto implied that after the Luis Castillo trade, the M’s could be done with any huge moves, and were relying on Mitch Haniger’s return to boost the offense rather than rely on any outside pieces.  The Mariners still have over 52 hours to monitor and evaluate Rodriguez and France before the 5pm CT deadline on August 2, but if there’s any uncertainty, the aggressive Dipoto might opt to swing at least a depth trade for the lineup just in case.

Moore has been a valuable player in his own right, posting a 116 wRC+ (from five homers and a .197/.350/.367 slash line in 185 PA) and playing at least one game at seven different positions around the diamond this season.  Abraham Toro will have to pick up some of the utility slack in the interim, though Toro has mostly played only second and third base during his two seasons with the Mariners.  Back spasms might not sideline Moore for much beyond the 10-day minimum, yet Dipoto could also explore adding a multi-position player to help fill Moore’s shoes in the short term.

Kelenic will get another opportunity to establish himself in the majors after struggling badly in first 473 plate appearances in the Show.  Kelenic has hit .173/.256/.338 as a big leaguer, with an ungainly 30% strikeout rate.  That swing-and-miss has crept into Kelenic’s work in the minors, as though he is hitting well at Triple-A, his strikeout rate over 252 PA for Tacoma this season is 23.8%, considerably up from 15.4% in 143 Triple-A PA in 2021.

Larsen went undrafted in 2017, but after inking a deal with the Mariners shortly after the amateur draft, the UC San Diego product is now on the verge of his Major League debut without so much as a cup of coffee at the Triple-A level.  The 27-year-old has played all three outfield positions and a handful of games as a first baseman, though Larsen hasn’t played any center field this year.  At the plate, Larsen has hit .266/.371/.444 in 564 career PA in Double-A ball.  Neither Baseball America or MLB Pipeline rate Larsen as one of the 30 best prospects in Seattle’s farm system.

Misiewicz has been a regular in the Mariners’ bullpen for the last three seasons, but he was optioned to Triple-A in June after posting a 4.61 ERA and only a 14% strikeout rate in 13 2/3 innings this season.  The M’s are known to be looking for bullpen help before the deadline, and left-handed relief could be a particular need, as Misiewicz’s struggles further lessened a pen already thin on southpaws.  It isn’t out of the question that Misiewicz could be claimed on DFA waivers, given how other clubs are constantly on the hunt for left-handed relief.

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Seattle Mariners Transactions Anthony Misiewicz Dylan Moore Jack Larsen Jarred Kelenic Julio Rodriguez Ty France

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NL West Notes: Estrada, Blackmon, Dodgers, Peralta, Ohtani

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2022 at 11:56am CDT

Giants infielder Thairo Estrada is likely going to be placed on the seven-day concussion injured list after he was hit in the head by a Mark Leiter Jr. pitch in last night’s game.  Estrada was able to leave the field under his own power, after initially spending time on the ground being evaluated by team medical staff.  Estrada has hit .262/.316/.406 over 342 plate appearances this season, a step behind his solid numbers from 2021 but still good for an above-average 106 wRC+.

Between this respectable bat and his defensive versatility, Estrada has been a valuable member of San Francisco’s roster, but his likely absence will leave the Giants quite thin at shortstop.  With Brandon Crawford on the 10-day IL and yet to begin a rehab assignment, Jason Vosler is the only player on the active roster with any time at shortstop this season.  It seems likely that one of Isan Diaz or Donovan Walton will need to be called up from Triple-A to fill that void, unless the Giants make another move in advance of the trade deadline.  Since the Giants could be sellers at the deadline, Estrada’s injury probably ensures that he’ll remain in San Francisco beyond August 2, though his team control through the 2026 season already made him one of the Giants players less likely to be moved.

More from around the NL West…

  • Rockies GM Bill Schmidt told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post) that the club hasn’t received any trade asks about Charlie Blackmon, though it doesn’t seem like Blackmon would waive his 10-and-5 rights to allow a deal anyway.  Blackmon has spent his entire professional career in the Colorado organization, and “I think it would be much more fulfilling for me to be successful with the Rockies than it would be to do it somewhere else, after what I’ve been through and the commitment from both sides.”  Blackmon already said last October that he was planning to exercise his 2023 player option (worth at least $10MM), and intimated to Saunders and other reporters that his perspective hadn’t changed.
  • Before the Diamondbacks traded David Peralta to the Rays yesterday, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports that the Dodgers had interest in Peralta’s services.  With Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy struggling all season long, the Dodgers could use some more help from the left side of the plate, and the team has the flexibility to explore options ranging from platoon options to superstars like Juan Soto.  As for Peralta, it could be that the D’Backs preferred the Rays’ offer to whatever the Dodgers were willing to give up, or perhaps Arizona wanted more in exchange for moving Peralta to a division rival.
  • Speaking of big left-handed bats, “the Dodgers have tried to engage the Angels” about a possible Shohei Ohtani trade, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets.  The Angels are reportedly at least listening to other teams’ offers for Ohtani, even if Anaheim’s asking price is said to be huge, and a trade seems quite unlikely.  Morosi’s specific phrasing implies that the Angels weren’t willing to truly “engage” with the Dodgers in talks, which perhaps isn’t surprising — as Morosi notes, “many in the industry are skeptical that Ohtani would be dealt to the Angels’ geographic rival.”
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Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers Notes San Francisco Giants Charlie Blackmon David Peralta Shohei Ohtani Thairo Estrada

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Brewers, Padres, Rays Interested In Joey Gallo

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2022 at 10:57am CDT

10:57AM: The Rays may not be too deep in the Gallo hunt, as Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News hears that the “Yankees wanted too much back” in return.

7:56AM: Joey Gallo’s time in the Bronx is widely expected to be up by Tuesday’s trade deadline, and the Yankees have been exploring trade possibilities for the struggling outfielder.  The Brewers, Padres, and Rays are among the clubs who have shown interest in the former All-Star, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes.

San Diego discussed a Gallo deal during Spring Training, and has been linked to the slugger’s market multiple times in the past, dating back to Gallo’s time with the Rangers.  The Rays and Brewers also had interest in Gallo at last year’s deadline, and seem to be again revisiting a trade 12 months later.

Of course, quite a lot has happened to Gallo’s trade value in the past year, none of it good.  After posting only a .707 OPS in 228 plate appearances as a Yankees in 2021, Gallo’s slump has only deepened this season.  Gallo has hit only .159/.282/.339 with 12 homers over 273 PA, with a wRC+ of 81 (the league average is 100) and strikeout and whiff rates that rank near the bottom of the league.

On the flip side, Gallo is still posting outstanding hard-contact numbers and his 14.7% walk rate is one of the best of any player in baseball.  A .217 BABIP only deepens the frustration, yet Gallo is so rarely making contact in the first place that his scuffles can’t be chalked up to just bad batted-ball luck.  This lack of production in the pinstripes is “something I’m gonna have to really live with for the rest of my life,” Gallo told The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler earlier this week.  “It’s going to be tough.  I didn’t play well, I didn’t live up to expectations.  And that’s a tough pill to swallow.”

The Yankees’ acquisition of Andrew Benintendi has all but confirmed that Gallo will be dealt, though what New York can expect back in return is an open question.  The 28-year-old outfielder is a free agent after the season and is owed roughly $3.4MM for the remainder of the year, making it quite possible that the Yankees will have to eat most or all of that money unless another unwanted contract is swapped in return.  While interested teams surely view Gallo as a change-of-scenery candidate, the Yankees don’t have much leverage in trying to market him as such, since it is so widely known that the club wishes to part ways with the outfielder.

In Tampa Bay’s case, the Yankees are surely wary of the idea of Gallo reviving himself on an AL East rival, and it is fair to wonder if New York would want more in order to move Gallo within the division.  The Rays may have the more glaring need for outfield help given that Manuel Margot, Harold Ramirez, and Kevin Kiermaier are all injured, with Kiermaier being out for the season in the wake of hip surgery.

However, the Rays already made a left-handed hitting outfield upgrade yesterday, landing David Peralta in a trade with the Diamondbacks.  It is possible this move could take the Rays out of the Gallo market, though the club is still looking for more outfield depth, as Nightengale also reports that Tampa is interested in former Ray and current Red Tommy Pham.

Christian Yelich, Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Renfroe, and Tyrone Taylor have comprised Milwaukee’s outfield mix for much of the season, with McCutchen also getting the majority of DH time.  Yelich is the only left-handed bat of the quartet, and Gallo could become a platoon partner with Taylor in center field.  2019 was the only season Gallo played a sizeable amount of center field, but he acquitted himself quite well defensively up the middle, even if right field is his ideal position — Gallo has won the last two American League right field Gold Gloves.

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Cincinnati Reds Milwaukee Brewers New York Yankees San Diego Padres Tampa Bay Rays Joey Gallo Tommy Pham

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