That Joey Gallo’s Yankees tenure was a disaster for all involved is no secret.
One of MLB’s most sought-after sluggers at the 2021 trade deadline, Gallo slugged 25 home runs for the Bombers in 140 games, striking out 194 times while hitting just .159. Things didn’t get better when he was sent to the Dodgers, leaving him with few options on the free agent market, where he took a one-year, $11 million deal with the Twins.
The 29-year-old’s sour experience in the Bronx didn’t make him want to quit, but it did force him to question things.
“I think every baseball player at some point is like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this s–t anymore,'” he told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. “It’s a tough game.”
The outfielder didn’t get much reprieve from the Yankee Stadium faithful, either. Fans booed him mercilessly, so much so that players from other teams reached out to him. They even used his name as a pejorative.
“From a mental-health standpoint, being happy, he wasn’t able to enjoy showing up to work every day,” infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa said. “He was starting to worry about things he couldn’t control, as far as his welcoming on the field. One thing he probably dreaded was his name being called every day. It’s not because he didn’t want to play. But when he got on the field, he didn’t know if he was going to be dogged on. That really got to him.”
He quickly realized he was not long for New York.
“I tried to handle it well,” Gallo said. “I took pride in the fact that I still played. I was still diving for the Yankees, running into walls for the Yankees, running hard for the Yankees. I knew I was getting traded. But I still had the pride, the integrity for the game, the respect for the fans, respect for the organization. I’m still going to go out here and bust my ass. I’m not going to just cash it in.”
Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, Gallo slashed just .162/.277/.393 in 117 at-bats, a stretch that could have further driven a stake into his career. Instead, he took a flyer and headed to Minnesota — where he has a .632 career slugging percentage in 62 plate appearances at Target Field.
Also among the changes that may help the slugger return to form: MLB’s end of the shift and the Twins giving the two-time Gold Glove winner some time playing first base. Things will certainly be different as he starts his time in the Twin Cities.
“The Minnesota market is different than the New York market. The Texas market is different than the New York market,” Gallo said. “I always just wanted to play baseball, have fun, hang out with the boys. That’s my goal, just to play baseball and win games. I don’t really like it being more than that.
“I guess this is more my vibe, you know what I mean?”