Philadelphia Phillies: 3 blockbuster deadline day trades to make
By David Esser
Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers (DH/OF/1B)
He doesn’t field very well, he doesn’t run very well, and he definitely doesn’t hit for contact very well, but my goodness can Joey Gallo hit some absolute bombs at the plate.
While everyone has been linking the Phillies to more pitching help leading into the deadline, a bit of a surprise name that has emerged is that of Texas Rangers DH/OF/1B Joey Gallo. The 26 year old slugger has made a name for himself throughout his career as being the embodiment of modern day baseball analytics.
He pretty much exclusively swings for the fences, and strikes out a ton. Gallo provides very little value to a club outside of his bat, but his ability to drive in the long ball is so extreme that he’s been a frequent name linked to teams looking to push for the postseason.
On paper, it doesn’t really appear the Phillies need more offense, but adding someone like Gallo to the middle of the lineup would without question give them the best offensive lineup in all of baseball. He could slot in between Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto at the cleanup position, and would be good for a solid chunk of RBIs and HRs.
Gallo has experience playing in the outfield, at first base, and a tiny bit of 3B. He could be the team’s everyday designated hitter, or could bounce around and fill in where necessary, allowing someone like Rhys Hoskins or Alec Bohm to be the DH.
*fun fact about Gallo: he, Bryce Harper, and Kris Bryant all played youth baseball together*