During last night’s Yankees-Rays game, it was reported that the Yankees had acquired OF/1B Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers in what was originally an 8 player deal. There were conflicting reports that the deal was not completed yet, and apparently they had some truth to them, as the deal was altered and became a 6 player deal now. Although the trade is not finalized, it is expected to be sometime today. The full trade would send Joey Gallo and LHR Joely Rodriguez to the Yankees, in exchange for their #14 prospect SS Josh Smith, #15 prospect 2B Ezequial Duran, #23 prospect 2B/OF Trevor Hauver, and #28 prospect RHP Glenn Otto.
With the addition of Gallo, the Yankees are bringing in a much needed left handed bat in a lineup that features a ton of righties. Not only does Gallo improve the Yankees options at the plate, but he also provides a ton of help in the outfield as he has been outstanding defensively for the past few seasons. The 27-year-old was an all star this year, and is currently hitting .223 with 25 home runs, 55 RBI’s, and an OPS of .869. While many may argue that the Yankees do not need another big power hitter that strikes out a lot, I believe he brings a bit more to the table than people think. Gallo gets on base a lot and has not hit into many double plays in his career, which is something the entire Yankee team has really struggled with as they lead the league in double plays they’ve hit into. Also, a little more of an obvious tidbit, Gallo’s left-handed swing should amount to a plethora of home runs, considering the short porch at Yankee Stadium.
An additional piece of information to this trade is the fact that the Rangers are paying most of Gallo’s remaining contract along with all of Joely Rodriguez’s remaining contract. In this deal, the Texas Rangers drastically improved their farm system, as they got 3 of the Yankees hottest prospects in Smith, Duran, and Otto. Speaking of Glenn Otto, there is a pretty good possibility that the Rangers could utilize him in the near future, as he was already at the AAA level in the Yankees system. Ultimately, I believe this trade greatly helped both sides, as the Rangers improved a bit of a weak farm system and the Yankees brought in a left handed bat and some depth to a bullpen that has been a bit shaky at times this year.
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