Texas Rangers: 3 takeaways from the massive Joey Gallo trade to NYY

Take it all in, Texas Rangers fans. Joey Gallo has been traded to the New York Yankees.

Yeah, it really happened. We’re still in shock over the whole thing. We always knew the Bronx Bombers coveted Gallo’s left-handed bat for their righty-heavy lineup, but given their uncertain playoff status for 2021, we weren’t convinced they would actually pull the trigger.

But they did, and now the day once made by the signing of Jack Leiter to a contract has been muddied by this blockbuster trade, as the Yankees dealt 4 prospects to Texas for Joey Gallo and reliever Joely Rodriguez.

It’s a trade that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on the surface for the Rangers, who essentially traded Gallo for a few lottery tickets. But upon further review, Texas did receive a boatload of talent that will help accelerate this rebuild and give this organization the kind of depth they haven’t had in a long time.

Let’s break down what this all means for the Rangers going forward.

Texas Rangers trade takeaway: GM Chris Young has a plan

Look, I know it’s hard to see this given the sadness of Joey Gallo’s departure. But it’s time to acknowledge that Chris Young has a plan. And that plan is to accrue as much young talent as possible to be well positioned for the future.

In acquiring Ezequiel Duran, the Yankees’ No. 15 prospect, along with RHP Glen Otto, SS Josh Smith, and INF Trevor Hauver, the Rangers added a significant amount of young talent in one sitting.

Sure, no Jasson Dominguez, no Clarke Schmidt, no Deivi Garcia or Estevan Florial. No doubt we would’ve wanted Texas to secure one of those names. But with the organization running thin on position players, the depth quotient increases dramatically, setting themselves up well for the future by ensuring they’ve got more darts to throw.

Quantity over quality seemed to be the strategy here, and time will tell whether that pays off. My guess would be this is a prudent strategy, since the Rangers’ periods of contention historically don’t last long (1996-99, 2009-16 with some bad years in between).

Would you rather contend in short bursts, or set yourself up for a prosperous future with a farm system that keeps on giving? We want things to be different this time around.

Remember as well that the Rangers still have to trade Ian Kennedy and Kyle Gibson. They also have a high pick next year. This rebuild has to be done the right way for long term success, and it looks like Chris Young is more than committed to going that route. That means aches and pains along the way, but Young is an intelligent man running a big league front office and more than qualified to do so.

Let’s trust the man that brought us Jack Leiter.

Texas Rangers trade takeaway: Joey Gallo deal is franchise’s biggest trade since Mark Teixeira

No sugarcoating this trade: it’s the biggest one for the Texas Rangers since the 2007 Mark Teixeira deal that landed the team Elvis Andrus, among many others. Safe to say that worked out pretty well.

And with the amount of prospects the Rangers got for Joey Gallo, this trade has the potential to be as fruitful as that exchange.

The Tex trade completely changed the tide for the organization when it was made, sending an established MLB hitter to Atlanta for pieces that would come to define a World Series core. And sometimes, those are the moves teams must make to really put themselves in position to build a winner for the long run.

Consider how eerie the timing is with both the Teixeira and Gallo trades. Both came a few years before an anticipated contention window. And if the Tex trade was any indication, the Rangers should stand to benefit from the Gallo swap as well. Maybe sooner than we all expect too.

Final thoughts

Look, it sucks to have traded a franchise player and not cooped up a star in return for his services, or at least a recognizable name. But many experts seem to concur on the fact that this was a great return for the Rangers.

Chris Young isn’t here to spite us, he’s here to save us. And it definitely may not seem that way in the moment, but let’s appreciate all that Joey Gallo did for us and his time as a Ranger. He was a lot of fun to watch and hoping for nothing but success as he embarks on his journey to the Bronx.