The Chicago White Sox have approved Joey Gallo his unreserved liberation, as conveyed by MLB.com’s Scott Merkin Gallo had been at training camp with the team on an minor-league deal However, they will now return to free agency to attempt securing a position with a different team before the start of the season.
Gallo, aged 31, concluded a challenging season with the Nationals, posting a batting line of .161/.277/.336 (76 wRC+) in 260 plate appearances. This marks another fluctuating period in his inconsistent career. Initially selected as a first-rounder by the Rangers back in 2012, Gallo became an All-Star twice during his seven-year tenure in Texas, namely in 2019 and 2021. Over this span of three seasons, he maintained a slash line of .209/.351/.477 along with a wRC+ score of 121. Despite hitting 70 home runs in only 280 games within these three years, Gallo exhibited a strikingout rate of around 35.6%.
The blend of extraordinary power coupled with frequent strikeouts has led to a fluctuating career for Gallo. At times, he has stood out as one of the top performers in baseball but has also experienced periods below par performance. This inconsistency averages out to a modest .194/.319/.456 (107 wRC+) stat line throughout his ten-year major league stint. Although this indicates reasonable output overall, Gallo hasn’t met even these figures recently. In 2023 with the Twins, despite posting an adequate 103 wRC+, his batting stats from the last three years have dropped significantly to only .166/.286/.379, resulting in a subpar wRC+ score of 88. Throughout this period, he has fanned more than 40 percent of the time, and his best year in Minnesota was marked by striking out in almost 43 percent of his plate appearances.
Early in his career, Gallo compensated for inconsistent hitting through solid outfield play. He was a two-time Gold Glove recipient in right field when playing for the Rangers and could also step into center if needed. However, he has since declined defensively and currently performs at an around-average level as a first baseman. This shift in his defensive capabilities over the years limits his utility to contending teams primarily as a backup option. Additionally, his fluctuating performance at bat makes it challenging to rely on him consistently as a regular starter.
These issues ultimately led the White Sox to decide to release the power hitter. Although being let go by a team that had the worst record in Major League Baseball last year is concerning, it’s important to note that Chicago possesses quite a robust array of alternatives for both first base and the outfield positions. Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. expect to have regulars at first base and in center field, while Mike Tauchman and Andrew Benintendi expect to secure the major portion of the playing time in the outfield edges.
Tauchman, Benintendi, and Gallo are all left-handed batters, which means Gallo’s greatest chance for playtime in Chicago probably would have involved him filling in for Vaughn at first base. Michael A. Taylor and Austin Slater Both are more appropriate for positions in the outfield. Currently, Benintendi is sidelined with a hand fracture, but he hasn’t been definitively excluded from being ready for Opening Day. He might recover relatively soon into the season, which makes it less logical to keep a player like Gallo as a backup option.
Despite this, it might still be challenging for Gallo to secure a spot on a Major League team with only about two weeks left before the season starts. Even though numerous injuries during spring training have created openings across different rosters, few clear opportunities seem available at first base right now. Teams such as the Padres, Pirates, or Marlins may require extra support at the position; yet, these franchises generally feel confident relying on their current choices heading into opening day. That being said, organizations do prioritize having versatile backups. It wouldn't be surprising if Gallo signed with another squad needing more flexibility in both his primary and secondary positions under a new minor-league contract, despite possibly lacking an immediate route to regular big-league play.
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