Yankees News, 6/21: Joey Gallo on Cashman’s trade radar? Triple-play for the win!

yankees, joey gallo

The New York Yankees are finally stringing together a few victories, winning five of their last six games, nearly sweeping the Oakland Athletics over the weekend. Thanks to a 9th inning triple play, the Yankees managed to fight off a pesky Athletics team who were desperately trying to maneuver their way toward a win. Thanks to a stellar pitching performance from Jordan Montgomery, allowing three hits over 5.1 innings, and strong relief, the Yankees can now enjoy the fruits of beating a team well about the .500 mark.

The Bombers will now prepare to take all the Kansas City Royals, who are six games below .500, and will feature Brady Singer on Tuesday evening, who hosts a 4.76 ERA and has given up 72 hits over 68 innings this year. The Yankees should plaster Singer and extract a win in the contest, but given how inconsistent the team has been this year, you can never make premature judgments.

In fact, while the team has picked things up recently, that doesn’t mean general manager Brian Cashman should avoid the trade deadline and fail to inject another quality player into the mix. One option is Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers. Gallo indicated he didn’t want to be traded and would rather sign a contract extension over the weekend, but considering the Yankees long-term interest in Gallo and the fact the Rangers sit at 25-46 on the season, there’s reason to believe they might be trying to add prospects or cash.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden detailed why Gallo would be a great fit for the Padres, but the narrative suits the Yankees as well:

“I think you need another three-run homer bat. I look at this team and I say, ‘You need one more bat.’ And the reason I like Gallo so much is the positional flexibility with Gallo is special. He’s a Gold Glove right fielder, where you could just put him there and park him there if you want. But he can also play left. He can actually play center. He can play first. He can play third. And he does them all well. Gallo, I think a change of scenery would a) spark his career. He’s spent his whole career in Texas. I think it would spark his career. And I think that home run threat every he came to the plate.

It’s possible Cashman has his eyes set on a contact-hitter who can get on base and drive runners in, but we know the Yankees’ ever-green reliance on home-run hitters. The re-emergence of Gary Sanchez has proven to be a catalyst, but Gallo has similar power, offering in-line value. Gallo is currently hitting .220 with 12 homers this year at 27 years old. He’s on a one-year, $6.2 million deal with Texas, making him a trade-piece.