DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Texas Rangers have traded two-time All-Star Joey Gallo to the New York Yankees, the organization announced Thursday.
The Rangers will send Gallo and left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez to New York, while Texas will receive four prospects in return.
Those prospects are pitcher Glenn Otto, second baseman Ezequiel Duran, shortstop Josh Smith, and second baseman/outfielder Trevor Hauver.
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None of the prospects headed to Texas were in the Yankees' top-13 at the beginning of the season, per MLB Pipeline, though those rankings come after a lost minor league season in 2020.
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However, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports that Duran and Smith would have been rated as the No. 6 and No. 8 prospects in the Yankees organization on their upcoming midseason top-30 list. He adds that Hauver and Otto would have also made a significant jump in their rankings.
Duran, 22, was an international free agent signing in 2017, and was ranked as the No. 15 prospect in the organization entering this season.
He had a .290/.374/.533 slash line entering Wednesday, with 12 homers, 48 RBI, and 12 steals in 67 games at Hudson Valley. Duran has played more shortstop this year than he had in his career, but spends most of his time at second base, where his “average arm is best suited,” per MLB Pipeline – who also scout Duran as having elite exit velocity, legitimate all field power, and solid speed that lead to “20-20 potential.”
Josh Norris of Baseball America says Duran "has big upside, and evaluators internally and externally believe in his upside as a hitter."
Smith, 23, was selected by the Yankees in the second round of the 2019 draft out of Louisiana State University. Smith is also playing for High-A Hudson Valley after being promoted from Low-A Tampa. He's hitting .324/.448/.641 with nine home runs, 24 RBI and 17 steals.
Smith has played all but one game at shortstop as a pro (one appearance at second base in Tampa this year), and MLB Pipeline’s scouting report says he “has some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Yankees’ system,” and is believed to profile best at second base as a “more of a steady than a flashy defender with reliable hands and a good internal clock that helps him get the job done.”
Norris says Smith's "stock has been on the rise" of late.
"He had the college pedigree that comes with an LSU career, and has strong strike zone discipline, plenty of raw juice and blend of skills that should help him stick at shortstop," he added.
Hauver, 22, was the Yankees’ third-round pick in 2020, and the second baseman had a .288/.445/.498 slash line with nine homers and 49 RBI in 66 games at Tampa entering Wednesday. Ranked as the Yankees’ No. 23 prospect entering 2021, Hauver was mostly an outfielder at Arizona State, but the Yankees moved him to second as a pro due to what MLB Pipeline calls “fringy arm strength and similarly graded speed,” and Hauver was pegged as a Daniel Murphy or Rob Refsnyder-type entering the pros.
Otto, 25, was a fifth-round pick in 2017, and is having a breakout year in 2021 after missing most of 2018 and part of 2019 due to blood clots in his shoulder and a ribcage issue. Otto had made 13 appearances (12 starts) between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 7-3 with a 3.33 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings.
The righty features a four-seamer that sits 92-94 but can touch the high-90s ad wll as a hammer curve in the high-70s, but due to a lack of a true third pitch and his advanced age versus experience, MLB Pipeline pegs him as someone who may be better suited as a “multi-inning reliever who could gain velocity and focus on his two best pitches in shorter stints.”
Gallo is hitting 223/.379/.490 with 25 home runs across 388 plate appearances this season. Rodriguez is 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA and 1.610 WHIP in 31 appearances.
Gallo has spent his entire career with the Rangers since being drafted by the club with the 39th overall pick in the 2015 draft.
The 27 year old has had an up and down seven years with the organization, hitting just .211 in 568 career games. However, he's one of the game's premier power hitters with 145 career home runs.
After years of switching positions, Gallo has developed into one of the best outfielders in MLB, and was well on his way to winning his second straight American League Gold Glove award.
Sensing that his time was soon coming to an end in Texas, Gallo said his goodbyes to Rangers fans after the club's 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
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"This year, I'm a little more prepared. Last year, I wasn't really ready for it but I went through it and I understand it's part of the business and that's how it goes in baseball, unfortunately," Gallo told reporter Emily Jones. "Obviously, I'd love to stay here but it's not up to me at the end of the day. I just want to say thank you to the Rangers — if this is my last time — thank you to the Rangers fans. You guys have been great for me. I love you guys."
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