A little more than a year after acquiring Joey Gallo in a deal before the MLB trade deadline, the New York Yankees shipped off their disappointing outfielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor league right-hander Clayton Beeter on Tuesday.
Gallo struggled mightily during his tenure in New York, notching a paltry .159 batting average in 140 games in pinstripes. This season, Gallo struck out an astronomical 106 times in just 233 at-bats while slugging just 12 homers and 24 RBIs.
But just because Gallo's time as a Bronx Bomber didn't work out, it doesn't mean that the Yankees players and front office don't like or appreciate what the former Texas Rangers star brought to the franchise.
“It’s been a tough, really, calendar year for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said to NJ.com following the swap. “I don’t know. I’ll have a conversation with him. I have a lot of respect for him. I have a lot of respect for how he worked, how he carried himself, who he was in that room. I think a lot of us really feel for the situation he was in and the burden he felt and carried, and I think a lot of us, myself included, are very much hopeful that he goes and recaptures what he know he’s capable of doing and truly kind of rooting for him.”
Boone wasn't alone in his praise for Gallo, either.
“Listen, it didn’t work out here,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman added. “But I do appreciate (that) Joey never stopped trying, never stopped working, never stopped caring.”
Despite Gallo's struggles, the Yankees are 70-34 and have a whopping 11.5-game lead in the AL East as we rage toward the MLB playoffs. At least Gallo isn't joining a sinking ship, either. His new team, the Dodgers, also has an 11.5-game lead in the NL West.
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