A real baseball player! Signed to play for the Nationals!
That was Danny Rouhier’s reaction on social media when the report came out that the Nationals have agreed to a one-year deal with Joey Gallo, and no, it’s not a drill – it is real life.
“They have signed a player, they will pay him actual money – now don't get too excited, but it's a player you might have heard of: Joey Gallo and his immense power is coming to the Washington Nationals,” Grant said on air as word came down. “Joey Gallo, who at one point in time at 41 and 40 homers in a two-season span for the Rangers in 2017 and 2018, but has not hit .200 or better since 2019. That's the tough part, but don’t drag me down right now.
He has won Gold Gloves multiple times, has been an All-Star in 2021, and is a guy who hit 21 home runs to go with a .177 average but a .740 OPS, and for his career, about a .790 OPS, well above league average. He came here to chew bubble gum, strike out, and not get hits but hit some home runs, and right now, he's only got a couple of sticks of bubble gum left.”
What an intro to now the only lefty-hitting outfielder/DH/first base type on the Nats’ 40-man roster.
“The story here is not Joey – they signed a player, a Major League Baseball player!” Danny said again. “I want everyone to understand this: the Nationals offered money to leave the Nationals account and go to a person to perform a service for them, at the Major League Baseball level. We did it, we got a baseball player!”
“So Mike Rizzo talked to the agent, and went back to ownership, and they said, ‘hey, guy that's been the architect of a World Series team, who could do it again if we just allowed him to put it together, sure.’ What do you think he did when they said yes?” Grant laughed back.
Yes, folks, the rebuild is still on, but hey, the Yankees traded for Gallo just two years ago!
“It’s a little bit below the Commanders getting Adam Peters, but the Nationals giving Mike Rizzo a little bit of money to sign a baseball player? It is real, man!” Grant said. “Nick Senzel, move over! Two million for Senzel feels like so two months ago, and we’re up to $7 million spent this off season. Billion and a half more, we’re the Dodgers!”
Life in a football town in a baseball rebuild…