The White Sox Need To Sign Joey Gallo
The Winter Meetings have come and gone, but there is still plenty of time left in the offseason to make some impactful moves for next season. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the number of free agents remaining. Aaron Judge, Brandon Nimmo, Mitch Hanniger, Cody Bellinger, and Joc Pederson have all signed deals.
The White Sox need help in the outfield. AJ Pollock opted out of his contract, and the goal is to keep Eloy Jimenez out of left field to keep him healthy. However, the front office has made it clear they will not be throwing money at their problems. Rick Hahn is banking on addressing the White Sox needs via the trade market. Finding a significant upgrade via trades will take a lot of work, especially given Jon Heyman’s recent report about how the trade market is developing.
Heyman reports that one of the ramifications of the free agent frenzy is that the trade market is dead. Front offices would rather spend money than give up players.
It’s a terrible predicament for a team claiming to be in their contention window. To make matters worse, players are receiving more money than many experts predicted before the start of the offseason. At this rate, the White Sox will not be able to keep their core once their deals expire. Hahn needs to improve the roster while the contention window is open.
Given the limited options, the White Sox must sign Joey Gallo. He is not the outfielder White Sox fans deserve, but he is the one they need right now. Gallo is a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner. A cheap one-year contract ranging from 8-10 million would be enough to get the deal done. He checks all the boxes the White Sox needs right now.
Defensive Upgrade
The White Sox outfield defense was terrible last season. As a team, White Sox right fielders -13 defensive runs saved. Only the Rockies and Pirates had a lower rating. In left field, the White Sox had -6 defensive runs saved, while in center field, they had -3.
Gallo is a two-time Gold Glove winner. According to Baseball Savant, his arm strength ranks in the 90th percentile of all MLB outfielders. He ranked in the top five in outfield assists amongst right fielders from 2020-2021. In 2021 he finished second with nine.
Gallo has below-average speed, but his instincts make him an elite defender. In 2022 he ranked in the 86th percentile in outfield jump, which allows him to get to balls most outfielders can’t. He led all right fielders in putouts (120) in 2020 and was fifth amongst all MLB outfielders (279) in 2021.
During his 2020 Gold-Glove campaign, he also led all right fielders in fielding percentage (1.000), range factor per game (2.32), range factor per nine innings(2.42), and total zone run (11). Gallo led right fielders in total zone runs once again in 2021.
He can also play all three outfield positions. He has appeared in 284 games in left field, 209 in right field, and 56 in center field. This allows the White Sox to place him in either corner outfield spot and have an immediate defensive upgrade.
While Gallo had a down year in 2022, with his defensive metrics placing him right around the league average, it was still better than what the White Sox were trotting out. Andrew Vaughn ranked last in outfield jump, last in outs above average, and in the 25th percentile in sprint speed.
Left Handed Power
The White Sox lacked two things on offense last season. Power and production from the left side of the plate. Gallo checks both of those boxes.
Gallo has hit 177 home runs in eight seasons and has a career WAR of 14.7. He’s also produced 386 RBIs and a .469 slugging percentage. In 2017 he hit a career-high 41 home runs, followed by 40 the following season. He played in just 70 games in 2019 but still launched 22 home runs. After hitting 10 in the shortened 60-game 2020 season, he bounced back to hit 38 in 2021 and drew an MLB-leading 111 walks.
Now to address the elephant in the room. Gallo is so affordable right now because he is coming off an abysmal season. He batted .160 on the year and was traded from the Yankees midway through the season. Things didn’t get much better in Los Angeles. Despite the change of scenery, he hit just seven home runs and batted .162. He also struck out 163 times.
Gallo has always had a high strikeout rate. During his 2021 All-Star season, he struck out a league-leading 213 times. Last season his strikeout rate and whiff rate ranked in the bottom one percent of MLB hitters. His expected slugging percentage was also just in the 35th percentile.
However, even during the worst season of his career, his 19 home runs would have ranked first on the White Sox. He was also in the top five percent in walk rate. He has finished in the top six percentile of all MLB hitters in walk-rate three times during his career.
The White Sox struggle to draw walks. Jose Abreu led the team with 62 last season. He is now gone. Gallo drew 56 free passes last season and can help fill that void.
Change Of Scenery
It’s no secret that Gallo struggled in New York. The spotlight and pressure from the media made him fold like a cheap tent. While Chicago is still a major market, the sports media attention pales in comparison to New York’s, especially when you are playing for the second most popular team in the city.
Gallo is going to be coming into next season as motivated as ever. Guaranteed Rate Field is the perfect spot for him to have a bounce-back season. It’s a hitter’s ballpark that fits his skill set well. He would have ten more home runs if he was playing at Guaranteed Rate Field the last two seasons.
Baseball is a mental game. Part of his poor performance in Los Angeles stemmed from his lack of confidence after being traded from New York. Going to a new city is the fresh start he needs.
Adding Joey Gallo isn’t going to get any White Sox fans jumping up and down in excitement. Nor should it. They would be taking a flier on a player coming off a historically bad season. But this is where the White Sox are at right now. Gallo is a risk worth taking for a team that has few options to improve.