New York Yankees: What to do with Joey Gallo?

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The New York Yankees are in a difficult spot when it comes to Joey Gallo. They have to keep putting him in the lineup in the hope that he can overcome the miserable start to his stint in New York. At the same time, his lack of production has made it difficult to justify continuing to play him as he just has not done anything with the bat.

There is one statistic that truly sums up Gallo’s struggles. He is a disaster as a run producer, bringing in just two baserunners all year despite having 91 people on base when he has been at bat entering Friday. Two. Gallo has not even driven in two different teammates – he drove in Josh Donaldson both times.

Joey Gallo a major problem for New York Yankees

The Yankees also have a roster crunch coming. Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, and Tim Locastro will be back soon. It would be difficult to send Miguel Andujar back to Triple-A with the way he has performed. No matter what the Yankees do, it seems like the wrong decision.

The New York Yankees have a decision to make as it comes to Joey Gallo. Let’s take a look at their three potential options.

Try to get something

The New York Yankees had been shopping Joey Gallo during the offseason. The problem was that they wanted something comparable to what they sent to Texas for him.

While that is great in theory, it also has the same odds of happening as Kate Upton being interested in a fairly unattractive middle aged baseball blogger. The Yankees are not going to get close to that same return for Gallo at this point. And that should not matter.

There are teams that are still interested. San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller seems to be set on collecting anyone who was a member of the Rangers when he was in their front office. While other teams may be interested in seeing if Gallo could resurrect his career away from New York, the Padres may be willing to pay the highest cost to find out.

At this point, the Yankees may be willing to take whatever they can get. Gallo has become dead weight on the roster, someone who has lost playing time to Miguel Andujar, a player who had been essentially counted out of their plans. If Andujar has taken over his role, what does that mean for Gallo going forward?

The New York Yankees may as well part ways with Joey Gallo. His trade value may never recover otherwise.

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Stay the course

In all likelihood, the New York Yankees are not going to want to sell Joey Gallo when his trade value has completely bottomed out. If they resisted offers during the offseason because of his decreased value, why would they trade him now?

As a Three True Outcome player, Gallo will go through slumps. He is certainly in the midst of a prodigious one right now, although his entire Yankees tenure can be considered a prolonged slump at this point.

But Gallo has the potential to heat up in a hurry. That contact he has made, while inconsistent, can get loud quickly. Balls could be flying out of Yankee Stadium, especially with a short porch in right that should be tailor-made for his swing.

That would really be the best case scenario for the Yankees. A white hot Gallo could make a tremendous difference in their push for a playoff berth, especially as the Blue Jays are starting to heat up as well. At long last, he would be the game changer they had been hoping for.

The New York Yankees need Joey Gallo to heat up. They truly may not have another option but to stay the course.

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Just release him outright

At some point, enough has to be enough. The New York Yankees will need someone that can actually slot into the lineup and be a viable option. Right now, that is not Joey Gallo.

And it may never be. He has not given any reason for hope that anything will change in his 377 plate appearances in New York. As he continues to lose playing time, his chances are getting fewer and further apart.

Those chances may dry up even further as the Yankees get healthy. Giancarlo Stanton will return to his place as their designated hitter. Josh Donaldson’s return could force some changes to the lineup as the Yankees look to get DJ LeMahieu as many plate appearances as possible. Tim Locastro may be best suited as a fourth outfielder, but he has performed fairly well in limited playing time.

When those players return, there just may not be any room for Gallo on the roster. He has become an albatross, an unplayable and untradable piece taking up room on the roster. Cutting Gallo loose may be the only option the Yankees have left.

Next. The Matt Carpenter illusion. dark

The New York Yankees are still hoping that they can get something from Joey Gallo. However, at some point, that patience has to run out.

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