Inside The Pinstripes

New Dodger Joey Gallo Ready for ‘Fresh Start’ After Yankees Struggles

New York traded Gallo to Los Angeles before the deadline for pitching prospect Clayton Beeter.

Gary Phillips

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Joey Gallo knew his days of constant shaving were almost over.

Anticipating a trade, the slugger let his stubble grow as he waited out his final days with the Yankees and their strict grooming policy. So when Gallo joined the Dodgers on Wednesday, he already had a new beard to complement his new colors and new opportunity.

“I had a good idea that I was getting moved. I was ready with the beard,” Gallo told reporters, per SportsNet LA. “I was just kind of waiting to figure out where I was gonna go. That’s always kind of the weird part.”

Gallo realized his time in New York would end after he posted disastrous numbers with the Yankees.

Acquired from the Rangers as a much-needed left-handed bat and a defensive upgrade in the outfield before the 2021 trade deadline, the 28-year-old slashed .159/.291/.368 with 25 home runs, 77 walks and 194 strikeouts over 140 games with New York. This season has been especially rough for Gallo, who hit .159/.282/.339 with 12 home runs and 24 RBI before losing playing time in his last weeks with the Yankees.

New York knew he was a three true outcomes hitter when it acquired him, but that approach lacked the relative balance that made Gallo a feared – if streaky – hitter in Texas. And so the Yanks cut bait on Tuesday, dealing Gallo for pitching prospect Clayton Beeter.

“My time in New York didn’t go as well as I wanted it to,” Gallo said. “Obviously, I wish I played better. But it’s a great group of guys they have there. It’s tough to leave, but sometimes it’s a business and if you don’t play well, then they’re gonna look for somebody else to take that job.

“But I think it’s nice to kind of get a fresh start and be in a new clubhouse and new place on the other side of the country.”

Gallo chalked his Bronx struggles up to trying to do too much and not playing his game. But he called his year with the Yankees “a great learning experience,” one that he hopes will help him in Los Angeles.

Gallo watched the Dodgers plenty growing up in Las Vegas, and he’s excited to team up with Cody Bellinger, an offseason training partner who has also lost his way at the plate in recent years. Gallo had not discussed his role with the Dodgers as of Wednesday, but he said being traded to another first-place ballclub “put a smile on my face.”

The deal also made a few Yankees jokingly wary of him as he left the Bronx. “We can’t show you too much. Now you’re the enemy,” Gallo said he heard as he gathered his belongings in his former clubhouse. “We might play each other in the World Series.”

Added Gallo: “It’s really nice to go to another team that’s a serious contender.”

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Gary Phillips
GARY PHILLIPS

A graduate of Seton Hall, Gary Phillips has written and/or edited for The Athletic, The New York Times, Sporting News, USA Today Sports’ Jets Wire, Bleacher Report and Yankees Magazine, among others. He can be reached at garyhphillips@outlook.com.

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