The Rangers are one of the league’s most obvious sellers this offseason. President of baseball operations Jon Daniels has been open about the organization’s intent to cut payroll and rework the roster in hopes of contending in 2022. They’ve put that into action already, trading Lance Lynn and Rafael Montero for longer-term assets.
Lynn was an obvious trade candidate, as he’s scheduled to hit free agency at the end of next season. Montero is controllable for an additional year, but as a 30-year-old reliever on a team not expecting to immediately contend, he was a sensible player to move. A tougher question for Texas is how to proceed with Joey Gallo.
The 27-year-old Gallo is under control for the next two seasons. He’s projected for a salary in the $5-7MM range this winter and will be eligible for arbitration once more after that. If the Rangers truly believe they can field a contender in 2022, they could elect to proceed year-by-year through arbitration.
There’s a case to be made, though, Texas should approach the Gallo situation more proactively. That could mean him following Lynn and Montero out the door. Texas has made Gallo available to other teams, although it may not be the best time to try to work out a deal. After all, he struggled to a .181/.301/.378 line in 226 plate appearances this past season. An unsustainably low .240 BABIP no doubt played a role in that, but his struggles can’t all be chalked up to bad luck.
Gallo’s already high average launch angle increased by more than four degrees between 2019 and 2020. For many players, that’d be a positive development. Gallo, though, already had an extremely uphill swing path. Hitting the ball higher in the air last season didn’t do him any favors. Gallo’s batting average on airborne contact (fly balls and line drives) dropped from .556 in 2019 to .350 last season. His slugging output had an even more precipitous fall. Making matters worse, Gallo’s average exit velocity fell more than three miles per hour from where it had been in 2018-19.
2020 struggles notwithstanding, the Rangers presumably anticipate Gallo to rebound. In August, Texas manager Chris Woodward called the slugger “by far the best player on the field” in every game he plays. There was a degree of hyperbole in that statement, to be sure, but Woodward’s affinity for Gallo has plenty of merit. Between 2017-19, Gallo hit .217/.336/.533 (120 wRC+) with 103 home runs over 1406 plate appearances. That’s solidly above-average offensive production. And Gallo has consistently rated as a quality outfielder (especially in the corners) and baserunner. Even with one of the league’s highest strikeout rates, Gallo has shown flashes of stardom.
Daniels and newly-minted GM Chris Young have a tough decision with their franchise player coming off a career-worst year. It’s not an ideal time to look for a trade, although there’ll surely be teams that see his off year as an anomaly. Gallo’s young enough that Texas could decide to explore an extension, even with the team taking a step back in 2021. Finding a price point agreeable to both the club and the Boras Corporation client on the heels of a down season might be difficult, though.
So, what course of action should the Texas front office pursue this winter with the 2019 All-Star?
(poll link for app users)
No doubt trade him while you can still get value. I have been rooting for Gallo for a while to become that superstar the Rangers have been looking for, but he’s not. The fact is he’s a .200-.230 AVG guy who had A+ power. Get as much as you can for him now and go into full rebuild mode.
Maybe the person who should be launched, is the Ranger ‘hitting genius’ who suggested the increased launch angle, for Gallo.
The fact that we traded two good prospects for Nate Lowe signifies we aren’t tearing the whole house down. It’s a retooling year to buy time for our young pitching.
Yall have no young pitching. Your farm is depth, no major prospects.
They kept him down for so long to try to hide his flaws, but he’s been up long enough now that everyone can see what he really is, and that ain’t much for an MLB club. 3 true outcomes Joey is what he is.
I hate watching Gallon hit.
You might not like watching Gallon hit, but he’s a Liter in the clubhouse.
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How much of his struggles on fly balls can be attributed to playing in that huge ballpark they built down in Texas last year? Balls that would be homers in other staduims go to die out there.
His triple slash line leaves a lot to be desired… They might still get something decent for him from someone in need of outfielders.
He’s a $7M dud. Rangers would be wise to simply release him.
I think they should plan to trade him in-season (at or before the deadline). They’d likely be trading low if they did it now, and they should give him a chance to rebound to increase his trade value. So I voted to keep him next season via arbitration, even though I think he should be traded before 2022.
I side with Odd, mid season trade. You never trade low.
Oddvark: I was just going to post that, but you said it perfectly! Hold Gallo, build up his value, then trade him.
All depends on what you can get, but try and trade him. His player type doesn’t age well.
I know I’m in the minority but I never really saw the appeal in Joey Gallo. I mean he is really just a three outcome guy.
I think more agree with you than you think. Guy strikes out more than a third of the time. Can’t believe he’s even had the success he has like that. It’ll catch up to him.
I’m a diehard Rangers fan and I agree with you. He was fun to watch for a bit, but the three outcome scenario is tiresome. Gives up so many at bats by swinging for the fences all the time. I do give him props for playing different positions throughout his career and still being able to win a gold glove. But his agent is Boras so trade him while we can.
With Schwarber, Duvall and some other sluggers out there Gallo’s value isn’t all that great. Yes, he plays premium defense and there’s value there but what is that worth?
The poll should have had trade him during the season as I think that’s where his value could be highest. I’d just like to see this guy taking pitches to left field more and instead of trying to hit 500 foot homers every at bat; he’s strong enough to hit oppo tacos all day long. If the Rangers can turn him into more of a hitter than slugger his value increases dramatically.
Gallo for Judge both are similar and strike out way too much. At least Gallo lefty bat useful in Yankees stadium
As a Red Sox fan I would love that trade. The Yankees however would slam the phone down(or whatever a cell phone equivalent of that is) and laugh heartily at the unmitigated gall of that suggestion.
Judge actually strikes out quite a bit less than Gallo
Striking out too much isnt a thing when u hit like judge.
Ummmmm… maybe Gallo plus two of the rangers #1-10 prospects and the Yankees would consider.
I really don’t understand why so many Yankee fans are in such a hurry to trade Aaron Judge, man.
Gallo for Judge?
Why?
Just because of which side of the plate they set up in?
We know that Judge is capable of putting together an elite MVP caliber season. While Gallo – though a decent player whom I like – seems to have a ceiling of All Star level. Nothing to scoff at, for sure. But the downgrade from Judge to Gallo is *substantial*.
Yea it is, even with peanut brittle jr. only showing up about half the time!
2017-2019 – and in spite of the misdiagnosed broken rib that he played through, Judge missed only 30 more games than guess who?
Someone not perceived as injury prone?
Still guessing – I know it’s stupid question – but the answer is Mike Trout.
It makes me chortle that for some NYY fans, trading Aaron Judge is the cure for all ills.
Lack of starting pitching? Trade Judge.
Political instability in the middle east? We’ve got a RF who can help..
Tsunami in Sumatra? Aaron’s on the chopping block again.
Personally I’d be trading the medical staff. If (heaven forbid) anyone ever had to be stretchered off, you can guarantee they’d drop the stretcher at least once….
Good morning*, @London.
Yeah, my fellow Yankee fans & myself can be an impetuous & unreasonable lot. Personally, I could never even dream of trading Aaron Judge, serious. I’m more than familiar with the arguments as to why it’s a “good” idea, however. Yourself & @NYStateofmind both touched on the health thing which always gets brought up.
I’m with you though.
I’m not sold on the “injury prone” label yet? He *has* lost a bunch of games (yessir,ditto Mike Trout – injuries suck). Some of it was pretty flukey stuff. I.e broken wrist due to an HBP & on the hustle play you alluded to.
Mileage on that take can vary though.
Yanks actually brought in Eric Creasy in order to overhaul the training staff & approach. I didn’t see much (any?) improvement but I’m willing to issue a rain check on that one.
’20 was a tough time to implement those kinds of changes, man. Obvious statement is obvious, I suppose.
Man, do yourself a favor & don’t watch…I dunno ‘Any Given Sunday’ or ‘Friday Night Lights’, or any other American football movie. You don’t need to spend 3 hours 16 Sundays/year drinking too much ale & cussing at you television. Mercy. Stupid Giants. Stupid Browns.
Ah, well.
I plan on purging my soul with some grouse hunting. The new pup’s coming along.
*it’s espresso time for me
The overwhelming majority of Yankee fans have no interest in trading Judge.
Selling Gallo now seems like selling low. He looked great in 2019 before he was hit with the injury bug. Unless the Rangers get exactly what they want, or are blow away with an offer for him, I don’t think trading him now would be the best move. He could get off to a hot start in 2021 and be a really attractive trade piece for a team in need of a big time power bat at the deadline.
If you’re Texas, you’ve got to hold onto him until the deadline, right? Coming off the season he had, his value can’t be very high at this moment.
If they trade him, Odor is the face of the franchise. So happy for Rangers’ fans.
Yeah that sucks believe me
Corner outfielders are worth next to nothing. Doesn’t matter when they move him. The return won’t mean anything to their rebuild. Probably best to just let him play out his six years of control and offer him a QO, if QO’s still exist then.
Tell Mookie Betts that. I could name more.
And you would still be wrong
Tell that to Judge, Harper, Yelich, and Soto. I’m sorry but that’s probably one of the worst takes I’ve heard.
Yeah really taking a positional scarcity stance to an insane degree. Not only that but Gallo can play 1B or 3B
Sounds like a perfect fit for the Brewers….a power guy who strikes out almost a third of a time. We already had a player like that Keon Broxton as good as anybody in the field but struck out way too many times. Since Stearns is trying to annually build a team with mostly some other teams’ garbage…just sayin.
Probably isn’t viewed as a 3B uniess it was an emergency. Probably could still play 1B though.
Those contracts are not comparable? Try again .
Gallo would be stuck in a market that already offers several feast-or-famine type hitters. No way Texas gets any real value until either spring training or the trade deadline. At this point i would expect Gallo in the Rangers lineup on opening day
It’s not hyperbole if guys like Trout are on the downside of their careers.
Good luck getting rid of him.
I think Gallo is going to have a big year. It is best to hold on to him and trade a guy who is hitting.260-.275 with 30 HR halfway through the season. I think they could get a ton for him if he can do that.
lmao I was wondering who it was that told me Gallo would hit .260 (which he’s never done) and 60 HR (which, obviously, he’s never done) this year. Thank you for making it easy on me.
The Rangers are not going to get any big time player or prospect for Gallo. Yes he can hit home runs but he strikes out a lot. I can see him going to the Reds, Nationals, or the Tigers.
As a Orioles fan I would love Gallo for Davis lol
Why would the Tigers trade for him? Two years of increasing cost for Rob Deer. Not worth a prospect.
Trade Gallo to the Cardinals for Matt Carpenter or Carlos Martinez. Gallo could go to third and Edman to 2nd.
He’s a lifetime.208 hitter, what is there to decide?
Daniels is the one who should be shown the door. He is one of the worst. Hasn’t won anything since Nolan Ryan and John Hart left.
Cant sell low, may as well hope he rebounds.. not like we need to give away players like my Ohio teams
I think it’d make more sense to trade him next July, or after the 2021 season. Too strong a track record to sell low after a bad two months.
Where’s the 8 year old who wants us to believe he knows baseball
Trade him and leclerc to the Braves for 2 pitching prospects and an outfield prospect.
Hold on to Gallo. He needs protection, and since the lineup had none last season, he sucked. The field dimensions messed with him, the lineup had no protection, and it was a Corona 2020. He’ll be good next season, so I’d rather extend a good player with good money, or trade a good player for good prospects. But we need to sit on a move of any kind right now.
We are piling up prospects like crazy. But they are just that prospects. No guarantee. You have to actually keep some players and maybe trade at the deadline if he doesn’t perform. But if he performs this year they need to keep him and start building around him in 2022 with all of those prospects
I agree with you, Rangers29. Power always plays, and the Rangers have a intriguing summer in front of them. Getting some young players in more important roles this offseason, along with a (maybe) full season of reps could get them to where they want to be in 2022, chasing for an AL-West title. It’s a tough division, for sure, but an addition to protect Gallo and get more guys on in front of him seems like a better approach than to sell low. If Tavares and Kiner-Falefa can get on, and Calhoun/Lowe/Solak add protection, it could be a really productive year for Gallo. I’d rather see the Rangers extend than sell low, however neither seem likely.
I hadn’t considered lineup protection and that’s a good point.
Similar to Brandon Belt in 2019, he was awful. I was ready to give up on him and then he goes and has one of his best seasons (albeit an abbreviated one) with a better lineup surrounding him.
In a protected lineup Gallo should be much better. He’s also in his prime years and I’m a believer of the magic age 27 season.
But I still think he should start trying to take the ball the opposite way. JD Martinez revamped his swing and turned into one of the best hitters in baseball, Gallo could do the same.
You can’t trade a guy with upside at his lowest point. You know he’s a good ball player with game changing pop and the ability to play numerous positions. Now is the time to lock him up. You know it’s his low point (cheapest point) yet you know he’s better than he was
Rhys Hoskins for Gallo straight up.
This screams White Sox to me. It just matters the asking price.
That batting average is atrocious, one which he should be working hard to change rather than swinging for the fences.
A big strong kid such as Gallo should recognize that he’ll hit homers even without that crazy launch angle.
He should also recognize that he needs to hit for far better average, get on base far more, and that being a far more complete hitter is where his value ultimately is. Home runs are a dime a dozen these days. Being reliable at the plate, closing holes pitchers can’t exploit, making consistent and hard contact rather than striking out like crazy is what a reliable all around hitter is. Getting himself out 35-38% of the time is a handout to the opposition that should end.
cant trade him yet, you’d be selling low
You are posting too often.
Do you really care?
It’s a take by a poster who has chosen a screen name *not* as a reference to what team they root for, but rather to taunt a different fan base. That should say a lot, man.
Everyone gets to fan their own way blahfeckingblahblahblah…
But, honestly.
When it comes down to it, why even pay attention to someone like that.
It’s obvious that their intentions here are merely to troll, argue, & generally be an inconvenience for the rest of us.
Ya know?
Alright.
Kick off coming up. Let’s go Big Blue.
I wonder if he had better lineup protection he could be more effective? If the Royals give up one of our young star pitchers, I could see him fitting in between soler and Salvy nicely but I doubt any trade would feel worth it for either side. Chris Young and Dayton Moore do have a history though.
One of the overatest players. Trade him while you can . The dave kingman of the 2020’s
Except Kingman was a defensive liability. Gallo has a GG and a rocket arm with positive defense metrics.
Kingman was a 3x all star and 5x top 25 MVP though.
As far as hitting goes.. very nice comparison
Kingman was indeed huge defensive liability. I saw him a lot. Gallo has a lot going for him because he also plays good defense. But he’s by far not a complete hitter which should be something he successfully addresses. His value will skyrocket if he does.
Guys with his type of swing and miss/upper cut approach rarely get better as they get older.
Rockies trade for gallo
Bring him aboard Padres!
I say hold on to him for now. Let’s see what a half season of at bats look like.
Good chance that half season actually lessens his value. A guy that strikes out that much is bound to eventually fall on his face statistically.
I think Gallo is Rob Deer’s son.
Since Rob Deer played for the Brewers, I’ll add two more comparable Brewers players who were good defensively but were K machines….Gorman Thomas and Richie “K” Sexon
I’m probably one of the few people that actually really likes Joey Gallo as a ballplayer. Yea he strikes out a ton and his batting average shows that. However what he gives up in BA and whiffs, he easily makes up on defense and on the basepaths. To me he is a sleeping giant and if he could join a ballclub with a more complete offense say teams like (Braves, Dodgers, Yanks, Angels, Padres, Chi Sox) he becomes a very dangerous hitter with the capability to put up a croked number with one swing of the bat. Being on the Rangers limits his value alot as teams have no reason to go after him or give him good pitches.
If Gallo can put up batting average numbers like he did in 2019 while also posting power numbers like he had in 2017-2018 he COULD be a “mega-star” (I know that’s not a real/technical classification haha but still it gets my point across) Basically I think that Gallo has yet to reach his true ceiling… and while it’s also possible he never will… I do think it’s plausible to think that he could “breakout” next year and wind up as one of THE most valuable hitters in the game. If he can manage to hit around .250 and mash 40-50 homers, coupled with his already solid OBP skills he could legitimately put up an MVP caliber season. The issue with all of that is, granted, there are a lot of “Ifs” but I think that they’re realistic “IFs” and assuming that’s the case — I think the Rangers should hold onto him… at least until he trade deadline so he can increase his trade value. And if they look like they could actually be in a spot to be competitive in 2022… I think they should seriously consider hanging onto him and even trying to work out a long-term extension. “IF” he can be that kind of hitter with a high OBP and massive power… he really could be a guy the Rangers could build their entire team around.
Inputs better than article
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Get rid of whiny people on a free baseball site
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He is essentially Chris Davis 2.0
Trade him for whatever value some fool (hopefully not my team) thinks he may be worth.
He is not. Joey Gallo is a fantastic CF whos a positive on the base paths as well
Davis does not have above average range, does not have an above average arm and is not a good base runner. What a lazy comp
David Stearns must be chomping at the bit to add another .210 hitter who thinks “singles” ain’t nothing but a kind of Kraft cheese
I was hoping that Gallo would be involved in the Lynn trade to the Sox. It still makes sense for the Sox to acquire Gallo. A rotating DH of Gallo, Eloy and Eaton makes sense for most of 2021 until Vaughn is ready. Then in 2022, Gallo becomes the full-time RF.
Also, Gallo’s ability to play all three OF positions give the sox more depth. I think it’s safe to say that Eloy, Eaton and probably Robert are a safe bet to miss an extended amount of games throughout the season.
I’m not sure what the asking price would be as the Rangers appear to like MLB ready players. I wonder if Zack Collins and either Jimmy Lambert or Bernardo Flores would peak the Rangers interest.
Next to Odor, trading Gallo should be a priority.
Very overrated, & more importantly, as big as he is, he’s very injury prone.
Rangers have to do something about their hitting, & you just can’t have a bunch of guys K all the time. Time for a new approach/lineup, & it should start by trading Gallo.
If a team of willing to make an offer ignoring 2020 statistics, then trade him. If 2020 did decrease his trade value for teams, then hold onto him until at least the trade deadline this year. Let him build his value back up. What they absolutely cannot do is trade him for scraps because of his poor 1/3 of a season last year
I don’t think his year to year stats are gonna affect a front office’s thinking as much as folks are assuming. He strikes out 33+% of the time, hits HRs and fields well. That’s the scouting report simplified. I doubt one year’s stats come much into play one way or another with a guy like that. Even if he has a better first half of the year he could easily regress in the second. Teams know this.
Trade him while he still has a tiny bit of value left. I love pop and 40 Hr is a lot…. but dude can’t put the bat on the ball any other way and his on base just isn’t skyrocket high to justify the lack of overall contact. Those type of players don’t profile long term in my humble opinion.
I know I’m probably in the minority but I think the Rangers should keep Joey. He’s a good outfielder and stated to be a more complete hitter. If they do trade him they better get plenty in return.
Can’t be a complete hitter when you K more than 33% of the time.
Para mí que lo aguanten va a progresar, lo que realmente necesitan que se hagan de dos buenos pitchers.