The Yankees would be the first to admit they haven’t played their best baseball in 2021 (ESPN gave them a D+ grade for their first-half performance), needing to win five of their last seven games just to finish above .500 for the first half. For all their struggles, the Bombers remain just 4.5 games off the AL Wild Card pace with plenty of time to make up that deficit. The next two weeks, with eight games scheduled against the division-leading Red Sox and three more versus last year’s AL pennant winner, the Tampa Bay Rays, will go a long way toward determining New York’s motives at the upcoming trade deadline. But if the Yankees are able to survive that daunting stretch, we know GM Brian Cashman won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade if the opportunity presents itself.
The Yankees’ lineup has long suffered from a lack of left-handed power, a shortcoming they could seemingly solve in one fell swoop by acquiring Rangers slugger Joey Gallo, who owns MLB’s second-highest OPS since June 3rd, the date MLB sent a memo to teams warning of the league’s crackdown on illegal foreign substances. Gallo’s uppercut swing is tailor-made for Yankee Stadium’s short dimensions in right field (318 feet from the foul pole to home plate), though, surprisingly, none of his 144 major-league homers have come in the Bronx (two doubles, one single in 15 lifetime at-bats).
With Aaron Hicks lost to wrist surgery and Giancarlo Stanton seemingly confined to DH (he hasn’t manned the outfield in almost three years), the injury-depleted Bombers have trotted out an underwhelming left-field platoon of Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier with 37-year-old Brett Gardner getting the bulk of opportunities in center. Gallo, last year’s American League Gold Glove recipient in right field, would alleviate that deficiency in short order. Moving from right field (where Aaron Judge remains firmly entrenched) to one of the other outfield positions wouldn’t be a major adjustment for Gallo, who also boasts extensive experience in both center (55 appearances including 49 starts) and left field (143 MLB starts).
Other suitors are sure to emerge as the calendar creeps closer to July 30th, though Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes New York will be firmly in the mix for Gallo, noting the Yankees have “consistently had eyes” for the two-time All-Star and recent Home Run Derby participant. Gallo’s all-or-nothing approach (.213 career average) could spell concern for a team that has struggled to make consistent contact this year (.236, 24.3-percent strikeout rate), though with a modest salary of $6.2 million, he’s one of the few available difference-makers the Yankees could acquire without going over the $210-million luxury tax threshold.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported earlier this week that Gallo is “very likely” to be dealt with the rebuilding Rangers seeking a substantial prospect haul in return.
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