Texas Rangers: 3 teams that match up well for a Gallo deal
The Texas Rangers and Joey Gallo would love to work out an extension, but a rebuilding club must look to deal from their best assets.
The Texas Rangers have had a busy six and a half months since the 2020 trade deadline, and they surely are not done.
Since the deadline the team has moved Lance Lynn to the White Sox for Dane Dunning, traded Rafael Montero to the Mariners and dealt prospects to the Rays for Nate Lowe.
All that and we didn’t even mention the signing of Japanese righty Kohei Arihara, as well.
We have speculated that the Rangers will move on from their best players eventually, and you, the fans, have voted that Joey Gallo and Jose Leclerc would be the first on the block.
We have previously looked at what the trade market for Jose Leclerc would look like if the Texas Rangers moved on from his services, but we have yet to survey the market for Joey Gallo.
The Texas Rangers know that Gallo is a superior talent when consistent, but that has been his weakness over the years.
We have seen glimpses of what could be in 2019 before his injury, but every other year has been mediocre offensive numbers other than his power and Gold Glove defense.
I believe there could be a huge market for Gallo if he comes out and plays well early in the 2021 season, but what does the market look like?
Here are the three potential fits for Gallo’s services, in my opinion, that could make sense for the Texas Rangers in a deal, beginning with an NL East powerhouse.
Atlanta Braves
With the uncertainty surrounding the DH in the National League, the Braves have reluctantly pursued Marcell Ozuna and have left a hole in a corner outfield spot.
In house, the Braves have Ender Inciarte and highly-touted prospects Christian Pache and Drew Waters waiting in the wings, but no one to fill in immediately.
Joey Gallo would be the perfect match for Atlanta, even if they re-sign Ozuna to DH (assuming the DH in the N.L. is here to stay).
Gallo would immediately upgrade the outfield defense and help balance out a very right-handed heavy lineup.
He also would be given protection in the Braves lineup, which is something he has yet to have with the Texas Rangers.
Atlanta fans, imagine an outfield of Pache, Acuna Jr., and Gallo for the foreseeable future.
For Ranger fans, the Braves’ farm system is loaded with quality talent that would be able to impact the big league team within the next two years.
This is a match made in heaven, and could be made a possibility with a few phone calls.
Now, it’s onto to the A.L. East to a team that needs to balance out its slugging lineup.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are the second team that could make a lot of sense for the Texas Rangers and Joey Gallo.
Another right-handed heavy lineup, Gallo could slot right in between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton and create the best power trio in all of Major League Baseball.
Not only would Gallo balance the lineup out, but the short porches at Yankee Stadium play well with his pull-power swing.
The Yankees have yet to re-sign longtime teammate Brett Gardner and may be unsure of handing the reins over to Clint Frazier full-time, thus Gallo and his Gold Glove could fit perfectly in left field.
From the Rangers perspective, the Yankees also have a very deep farm system that could peak the Interest of the Texas front office.
Names like Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil come to mind when thinking about a potential Gallo to the Yankees deal.
These two guys would immediately help the Rangers pitching staff for the 2021 season.
Lastly, we go back to the National League for, maybe, the most fun “Gallo on another team” scenario.
Colorado Rockies
If you want to discuss must-watch television, Joey Gallo playing 81 games at Coors Field is where it should begin.
We should preface this by saying that Colorado isn’t the most logical fit for Gallo, but the Rockies are desperate for offensive help.
At the end of the 2020 season, the Rockies finished with the third worst team wRC+(76) in all of baseball, ahead of only the Pirates (73) and Rangers (67) despite the advantages of hitting at Coors Field.
Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story and Raimel Tapia were the only players on the Rockies’ roster that played at an above-average level in 2020, with Nolan Arenado struggling mightily.
Gallo’s power would definitely play in Colorado, but his defensive work makes him even more valuable to the Rockies.
With a spacious outfield in Denver, Gallo could impact the Rockies defense immediately, as Tapia, Blackmon and Desmond are all rated as below-average defenders.
Although they may not contend in 2021, a lineup of Trevor Story, Joey Gallo and Nolan Arenado would be fun to watch for all baseball fans.