General manager Brian Cashman did a poor job putting together the New York Yankees’ roster this off-season, committing too much optimism and faith in players who struggled considerably last season.
After 13 games into the regular season, the most disappointing player has been Joey Gallo, who hosts an abysmal .135 average and hasn’t recorded an RBI.
After smashing 38 homers with Texas and New York last season, Gallo hasn’t hit a single home run over 39 plate appearances this year. In 2021, Gallo hit a home run every 16 at-bats on average, but he’s already blown past that average, totaling just five hits on the season.
Nonetheless, the Bombers were considering trading Gallo during spring training to the San Diego Padres, and it looks like their potential trade partner dodged a serious bullet.
Per Jon Heyman of the NY Post, the Yankees and Padres had spoken about a potential swap a few weeks ago, but obviously, nothing materialized:
The Yankees talked to the Padres about a trade for Gallo this spring, but are believed to have been seeking a return befitting his ability, not his recent achievements.
Coming off a campaign where he batted .199 in total and .160 with the Yankees with a 38.6% strikeout rate, Gallo is still waiting to turn things around. There are reasons to believe that Gallo is having bad luck based on his 22.2% barrel rate and 50% hard-hit percentage. However, his launch angle has dropped to 11.9° compared to 22.7° last year.
With the shift still in place but expected to be eliminated next year, Gallo continues to hit the ball frequently to the right side, which has hurt his numbers. Even so, the Yankees can’t continue to roll with him if he’s going to be an automatic out on nearly every at-bat.
On Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, Gallo contributed an infield single as his lone hit but struck out in the 7th and recorded two easy outs in the 2nd and 5th innings. He also made a terrible defensive mishap in the outfield, letting a ball go by him, which allowed the Tigers to drive in multiple runs.
Even if the Yankees try to trade Gallo now, they would likely get a few pebbles in return compared to what his previous value might’ve been. Cashman should’ve pushed a little harder to pull the trigger with the Padres.