May 22, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Dane Dunning (33) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
ith spring training just weeks away, the Washington Nationals have signed up-and-down slugger Joey Gallo to a one-year deal, according to The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden. The deal is will pay the outfielder $5 million with an additional $1 million in performance bonuses.
Gallo made his MLB debut for the Texas Rangers in 2015, quickly making a name for himself as a big hitter, if unreliable. In seven years with the Rangers, Gallo recorded 145 home runs in 568 games and earned two All-Star nods (2019 and 2021), but his inconsistency meant his overall batting average was just .211 with a strikeout rate well above league average.
In 2022, Gallo spoke to Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media about his strikeout-heavy plate appearances, commenting “I’ve been a Three True Outcomes player my whole life.”
“It took a while for people to understand the player I am in Texas,” Gallo said. “Early on, I was the No. 1 prospect, but I struck out a lot. I was a strange player. But Rangers fans started to understand, ‘OK, this guy strikes out, but he hits homers, he plays good defense, he’s a good person.’ Rangers fans came to understand that.”
At the 2021 trade deadline, Gallo was traded to the New York Yankees, and it quickly became clear that his unique batting style wasn’t translating. He slashed .159/.291/.368 with 25 home runs in 140 games in New York, before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 and becoming a free agent at the end of the season.
Last offseason, Gallo signed a one-year, $11 million contract with the Minnesota Twins. Despite recording a batting average of just .177 in 111 games and leading the team in strikeouts (142) in 2023, Gallo posted 21 home runs, ranking second overall on the Twins roster.
