today: The contract has been officially announced. The deal also includes a mutual option for the 2025 season.
January 23rd: Nationals, first baseman/outfielder joey gallo Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reports that they have agreed to a one-year contract (X-link). The contract with Boras Corporation's client is pending a physical contract, for $5 million, with an additional $1 million available as a performance bonus for him.
Gallo, 30, has been the poster child for the “Three True Accomplishments” in a major league career that has now spanned almost a decade. He debuted with the Rangers in 2015, appearing in 863 games and hitting 198 home runs during that time. He has struck out in 37.9% of his at-bats, which is well above par. For reference, the league average in 2023 was 22.7%. However, he has earned walks in 14.8% of his career at-bats, well above the league average of 8.6% in 2023.
It's an unusual combination, but one that, when put together, allows Gallo to be productive as an offensive contributor. His career batting line is below the Mendoza line at .197/.323/.466, but the walks and home runs still help translate that into a wRC+ of 109. He signed a one-year, $11 million contract with the Twins. In 2023, he hit .197/.323/.466 with a wRC+ of 104, hit 21 home runs, and struck out in 42.8% of his at-bats.
Perhaps it's worth highlighting that the sustainability of this strange form of performance has declined over the years. Gallo had his best years with the Rangers from 2017 to 2019, during which he slashed .217/.336/.533 with a wRC+ of 120. 2020 was a tough year, but they bounced back with strong performances in early 2021.Good enough to be traded to the Yankees along with him. joely rodriguez. However, Gallo's productivity declined again after his contract and did not recover until 2022, when the Yanks released him to the Dodgers midseason. He finished the season with a .160/.280/.357 line and a wRC+ of 86 before putting together a decent season with the Twins last year.
His bat bounces a lot, but given the tumultuous nature of the past few seasons, he would be a risky bet for a competing club. But for the Nationals, it's a smart move for a variety of reasons. Last month, it was reported that the club was considering adding a left-handed player to the lineup. This was a natural goal considering their outfield lineup. lane thomas, stone garrett, Joey Meneses, Victor Robles, jacob young and alex coleboth hits from the right side.
Beyond that, the club has been actively rebuilding over the past few seasons, so it's unlikely they'll be in contention this year. Last offseason, they gave modest one-year deals to bring back prospects like: corey dickerson, dominic smith and jamer candelario. The first two of those didn't work out, but Candelario played well enough to be traded to the Cubs for some prospects.
The Nationals can slot Gallo into the middle of the lineup and hope he's good enough to follow a similar trajectory to Candelario last year. If he faces another tough campaign like he did in 2022, he could easily be released like Dickerson.
This suitability also applies to prospects within the system.outfielder james wood and dylan cruz They are two of the league's highest-rated prospects, and both could be close to making their major league debuts. Wood spent most of last year in Double-A and will likely start next season in Triple-A. Cruz was only drafted last summer, but was able to join Wood in Double-A by the end of the year. robert hassell Although not as highly rated as those two, he is another notable outfield prospect who finished in Double-A last year.
Gallo could be considered a replacement player, as these prospects could be at bat in the major leagues by the summer. If he mashes, he could be traded for a promising player. If not, he could be released. In either case, he will cede playing time in the second half to someone in that group. If each of the prospects struggles and can't justify a promotion, perhaps Gallo could stay in Washington until the end of the year, as Smith did in 2023.
Gallo is also considered to be a solid defender, which is a plus. His outfield glove handling led to career records with 42 defensive runs saved and four outs above average, earning him a 15.0 grade in the Ultimate Zone Rating. His work at first base isn't as well-regarded, but he's had decent numbers there as well, with more than 1,000 career innings at that spot. Meneses is currently expected to spend the majority of his playing time at first base, but the club doesn't have a strict designated hitter, so they can rotate players based on health and matchup conditions.
