MINNEAPOLIS — Two months after saying goodbye to their own all-or-nothing slugger, the Twins found another on Friday.
Joey Gallo, who owns 177 home runs over eight seasons despite a career batting average of just .199, agreed to a one-year free-agent contract with the Twins on Friday, a major league source confirmed. Gallo owns a pair of 40-home-run seasons with the Rangers, and hit 38 just two seasons ago.
But Gallo has also struck out more than 200 times in two different seasons, and 196 in another, a pattern reminiscent of former Twins infielder Miguel Sano, who became a free agent in October. In fact, Sano is the only player in MLB history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts faster than Gallo, doing so in 661 career games to Gallo's 715.
Gallo is only 29, is known as a capable outfielder for his size who can also play first base, and can even play center field when necessary. He won Gold Gloves as a right fielder in 2020 and 2021, and twice was honored as an American League All-Star. But Gallo's offensive value has been swallowed up by strikeouts over the past two seasons, and he has bounced around from the Rangers to the Yankees to the Dodgers in that time.
The Las Vegas native batted .159 with a .621 OPS and 12 home runs in 82 games with the Yankees last season, but lost his job as New York's regular left fielder by June to Aaron Hicks. He was traded to the Dodgers in August, but batted just .162 there in 44 games.
The 6-5 Gallo was a first-round pick (39th overall) of the Rangers in 2012.
In four games against the Twins this year, Gallo went 6 for 14 with three home runs and seven RBIs. It was his final arbitration-eligible year, and he earned $10.275 million.
