{"id":9238,"date":"2024-01-23T14:49:40","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T22:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=9238"},"modified":"2024-01-23T14:49:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T22:49:40","slug":"joey-gallo-signs-with-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2024\/01\/23\/joey-gallo-signs-with-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Joey Gallo Signs with Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Washington Nationals<\/a> have added to their outfield mix by agreeing to terms on a deal with Joey Gallo<\/strong><\/a>. It is a one-year contract, reports Andrew Golden<\/a> of The Washington Post<\/em>. The deal, which is pending a physical, is for $5 million with another $1 million available in performance bonuses. The Nationals signed Gallo in hopes of increasing production out of the middle of their lineup.<\/p>\n

Decade of Ups and Downs<\/h4>\n

The 30-year-old Gallo has been the poster boy for the \u201cthree true outcomes\u201d in a career that\u2019s almost a decade old. Having debuted with the Texas Rangers<\/a> in 2015, he has played in 863 games. Gallo has 198 home runs to his name in that time. He has struck out in 37.9% of his plate appearances, which is much higher than par. For reference, the league average in 2023 was 22.7%. But he\u2019s also drawn walks in 14.8% of his career plate appearances, well beyond the 2023 league average of 8.6%.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s somewhat of an unusual combination but one that still allows Gallo to be a productive offensive contributor when taken all together. Though his career slash line of .197\/.323\/.466 has him below the Mendoza line, the walks and the homers still help him translate that into a wRC+ of 109. He signed a one-year, $11 million deal with the Minnesota Twins<\/a> for 2023 and batted .177\/.301\/.440 for a wRC+ of 104. He hit 21 home runs while striking out in 42.8% of his plate appearances.<\/p>\n

Fan Favorite in Arlington<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s perhaps worth highlighting that the tenability of this performance has declined over the years. Gallo had his best run with the Rangers from 2017 to 2019. He hit .217\/.336\/.533 in that time for a wRC+ of 120. Gallo struggled in 2020 but then bounced back with a strong showing early in 2021, enough for him to be traded to the New York Yankees<\/a> alongside Joely Rodr\u00edguez<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Despite the pop in his bat, the up-and-down nature of his past few seasons makes him a risky bet for a contending club. But for the Nationals, it\u2019s a sensible fit for a number of reasons. Last month, it was reported<\/a>\u00a0that the club was looking to add some left-handed power to its lineup. That was a logical target with their outfield mix consisting of\u00a0Lane Thomas<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Stone Garrett<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Joey Meneses<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Victor Robles<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Jacob Young<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0and\u00a0Alex Call<\/a><\/strong>, all of whom hit from the right side.<\/p>\n

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Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>