Two months after saying goodbye to their own all-or-nothing slugger, the Twins found another on Friday.
Twins add former All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder Joey Gallo
The former Ranger, Yankee and Dodger has a high strikeout rate and batting average of .199.
December 16, 2022 at 9:51PM
Joey Gallo, who owns 177 home runs over eight seasons despite a career batting average of .199, agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract with the Twins on Friday, a major league source confirmed. Gallo had two 40-home run seasons with Texas, and hit 38 in 2021.
But Gallo has also struck out more than 200 times in two different seasons, and 196 in another, a pattern reminiscent of former Twins infielder Miguel Sano, who became a free agent last month. In fact, Sano is the only player in MLB history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts faster than Gallo, doing so in 661 career games to Gallo's 715.
Gallo is only 29, is known as a capable outfielder for his 6-5, 250-pound frame who can also play first base, and can even play center field when necessary. A first-round pick (39th overall) of the Rangers in 2012, he won Gold Gloves as a right fielder in 2020 and '21 and twice was honored as an AL All-Star. But Gallo's offensive value has been swallowed up by strikeouts over the past two seasons, and he has bounced around from the Rangers to the Yankees to the Dodgers in that time.
The Las Vegas native batted .159 with a .621 OPS and 12 home runs in 82 games with the Yankees last season, losing his job as New York's regular left fielder by June to Aaron Hicks. He was traded to the Dodgers in August, hitting only .162 in 44 games with Los Angeles.
However, in four games against the Twins with the Yankees and Dodgers this season, Gallo went 6-for-14 with three home runs and seven RBI. It was his final arbitration-eligible year, and he earned $10.275 million; the Yankees traded him August to the Dodgers for minor league pitcher Clayton Beeter.
The Twins have a glut of outfielders, with nine already on the 40-man roster. All-Star Byron Buxton is set for center field when healthy. Max Kepler has been the team's regular right fielder — Gallo's logical position — since 2016 but has been mentioned in offseason trade talk. Left fielders Trevor Larnach and Alex Kirilloff were injured for most of last season, but will return healthy for 2023. And Gallo, Kepler, Larnach and Kirilloff are all lefthanded hitters.
Injuries provided plenty of outfield playing time for backups Kyle Garlick and Nick Gordon — and St. Paul Saints callups Gilberto Celestino, Matt Wallner and Mark Contreras.
Talk of competing for the best players or of a potential new owner wielding big bucks doesn’t change this: They are last in popularity among the four major men’s pro sports.
