Joey Gallo Signs with Minnesota Twins

By Eric Strack |

Updated: Dec 16, 2022

The Minnesota Twins signed outfielder, Joey Gallo, to a one-year, $11 million contract on Friday afternoon. The deal comes just days after the front office lost out on Carlos Correa earlier this week. It comes as no surprise being the 29-year-old lefty stick was rumored to be in contact with the Twins earlier today.

Joey Gallo has agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal with the Twins, per source. @JonHeyman was on it.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 16, 2022

Joey Gallo is a solid corner outfielder who has plenty of power to right field, in his bat. He’s never hit for average, however, and that has come back to bite him in recent years.

Joey Gallo Overview

Gallo has a career .199 BA but that has dropped to .183 since the start of 2020. His OPS (.728) and OPS+ (101) are both down significantly in that time, as well. Still, those OPS numbers aren’t bad, by any means.

A former 1st round pick (39th overall) of the Texas Rangers in 2012, Gallo played 6.5 seasons in Arlington before he was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2021 season. In 2022, he was traded to the Dodgers.

The Twins were willing to go as high as $11 million for next season so they must believe the soft lights of Target Field will help Gallo rebound, after playing two seasons in big markets like New York and LA.

Goodbye Max Kepler

But if you hated how often Miguel Sano struck out, then you might want to shut your eyes when Joey Gallo comes to the plate. He might be the only player in the league with a higher propensity to swing and miss. He walks a lot, though too. In fact, Gallo led the league in both categories in 2021 (213 Ks, 111 BBs).

Miguel Sanó has the second-highest career strikeout rate in MLB history at 36.4 percent.

And the only player with a higher career strikeout rate — at 37.3 percent — is Joey Gallo.

(Gallo is a good defensive corner outfielder, making him a better all-around player. But still.)
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) December 16, 2022

It’s likely this move signals the end for Max Kepler, who the Minnesota Twins are actively shopping to other teams. He is on the final year of a deal he’s been vastly overpaid for. His defense, however, makes him a positive trade asset.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan