The New York Yankees rolled out one of the most ridiculous starting lineups of the season this year on Saturday, considering all the talent they have on the roster. The outfield consisted of three depth options, including Brett Gardner, Estevan Florial, and Greg Allen. With Aaron Judge battling Covid and Clint Frazier still dealing with migraines, skipper Aaron Boone has had no choice but to rely on reserve pieces the supplement losses.
With that being said, the Yankees are in a position to buy at the trade deadline and could be eyeing Texas Ranger stand-out lefty Joey Gallo.
The Yankees have been intrigued by Gallo for quite some time, and at 27 years old, he offers a solid power bat in the middle of the lineup to contribute run support. He’s played in 93 games so far this season, indicating a full bill of health. The 6’5″, 250-pound outfielder is hitting .225 on the season, a less than adequate number that is elevated by his 24 homers and 52 RBIs. He is a strikeout machine, hitting 32.1% in that category, but we know Cashman loves his home run hitters.
However, it was reported that Texas and Gallo are conversing on a potential extension.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News stated that Texas and Gallo are discussing an extension, but I believe it’s a smokescreen to drive the price up:
According to multiple sources, (the Rangers) have become more aggressive in discussing contract extension discussions with (Gallo) and his representative Scott Boras. Boras declined comment Friday when asked if the Rangers had presented a contract offer. Earlier this week, Rangers President of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels said he preferred to keep conversations with Gallo private but did state the obvious in saying Gallo’s future was “a big decision for us.â€
I believe this is more of a stalling process and trying to create more value behind Gallo, considering the Rangers are dead last in the AL West with a 35-64 record. If anything, they should be begging for prospects, so the Yankees are undoubtedly in the ball game, just as they were against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday evening.
Down 0-3 in the 8th inning, the Bombers rallied, scoring four runs and stealing a victory to snap Boston’s four-game winning streak. Closer Aroldis Chapman did his best to blow the save but just barely squeaked out the win with runners at 2nd and 3rd.
New York has one final game of a four-game series against Boston on Sunday afternoon, a must-win contest. If they can string together a few big victories, adding a player like Gallo at the right time might give them the necessary spark to make a playoff push. They currently sit 8.0 games back in the AL East standings and 3.5 games back from the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card.