Former Ranger Joey Gallo Reflects on Year With Yankees

It's not clear what the future holds for the former Texas outfielder in the Bronx, especially after the Andrew Benintendi trade.

New York Yankees outfielder Joey Gallo was in a reflective mood when he spoke to The Athletic about his time with the organization.

He was also blunt about his performance in The Bronx.

“I feel bad,” Gallo said. “It’s something I’m gonna have to really live with for the rest of my life. It’s going to be tough. I didn’t play well, I didn’t live up to expectations. And that’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Gallo spoke like someone who knew that his time in New York was coming to an end soon. With the trade deadline coming up on Aug. 2, the former Texas Rangers slugger is rumored to be on the market. New Jersey Advanced Media reported that the Yankees are shopping Gallo, with Milwaukee, San Diego, Tampa Bay and Texas among the teams mentioned.

The Rangers dealt Gallo at last year’s trade deadline to the Yankees for four prospects — infielders Josh Smith, Ezequiel Duran, Trevor Hauver and pitcher Glenn Otto.

Three of those players — Smith, Duran and Otto — are already playing for the Rangers. Hauver is at Class-A Hickory and playing well enough to position himself for a promotion to Double-A Frisco in 2023.

Gallo, in the year since the deal, has hit .159 for the Yankees. For perspective, Gallo hit .211 for the Rangers.

It’s not clear if the Yankees will move Gallo before the deadline, keep him in a bench role or simply release him if they can’t find a taker. What is clear is the Yankees have bolstered their outfield by acquiring Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals. Benintendi doesn’t have Gallo’s power, but he’s a career .279 hitter who was hitting .320 for the season before the deal.

What went wrong? Gallo told The Athletic it’s hard to pinpoint and said he doesn’t know what “rock bottom” looks like in a baseball sense.

But “in the major leagues, it’s probably close to my experiences,” he said, when referring to his time in New York.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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