The New York Yankees outfield is becoming more crowded by the day. After they acquired Andrew Benintendi via trade on Tuesday, five regular Yankee outfielders, including the injured Giancarlo Stanton, have a higher OPS than Joey Gallo.
Gallo has been mired in a slump since joining New York at the trade deadline in 2021. Prior to that deal, Gallo had slashed .211/.336/.497 for his career. His defense was phenomenal and he was one of the league’s most feared home run hitters with a tremendous walk rate.
Since his arrival in the Bronx, Gallo is slashing .160/.293/.371. Good players don’t just turn into bad players overnight, and Gallo has been a terrible hitter since joining the Yankees. There must be extraneous circumstances.
The Yankees recognize this and have begun to bench Gallo ahead of the trade deadline. Their starting outfield now consists of Aaron Judge, Matt Carpenter and Aaron Hicks, it will soon include Benintendi.
There’s no place for Gallo on the Yankees roster but every front office around the league knows he’s an ideal rebound candidate. That may be why the Yankees are asking for more than just salary relief.
Scroll to Continue
Gallo is a free agent after 2022, the Yankees will lose him even if they don’t trade him. So between the Yankees setting their asking price too high, and the impending end of Gallo’s $10.275 million contract, a high stakes game of chicken is at hand.
Thus far both the San Diego Padres and Gallo’s former team, the Texas Rangers, have shown interest in the 28-year-old. However, both of these teams have apparently shifted their focus to Juan Soto and, understandably, don’t wish to give up a top-level prospect for such a high-risk, high-reward player.
The Philadelphia Phillies meanwhile, are most certainly not involved in Soto trade talks. Being a division rival of the Washington Nationals, the asking price will be higher, and the Phillies have no where to put him.
Phillies President Dave Dombrowski’s phone line should be open 24/7 to discuss players like Gallo. And having already crossed the first luxury tax threshold, money should not be an issue for the Phillies.
If they are able to out wait the Yankees high price tag, then Joey Gallo is an ideal candidate to roam center field for the next several months at Citizens Bank Park.
More From SI’s Inside The Phillies:
- How Mike Trout Will Join the Phillies
- Have the Philadelphia Phillies Found Their Centerfielder of the Future?
- Andrew Painter is Off to a Historic Start
- Could The Phillies Soon Be Playing in Wawa Park?
- 18-Year-Old Phillies Prospect is Making History
- How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
- How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America’s Favorite Sports Mascot
- This Unlikely Draft Pick Could be the Final Piece in the Phillies Next Blockbuster Trade
- Picking the Phillies’ All-Time Single Season Lineup
- Drawing Comparisons to Harper, Phillies Prospect Wilson is Heating Up
Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!
