Padres rumors: Club interested in another slugging Yankee

Padres rumored to be interested in struggling Yankees slugger Joey Gallo

First Luke Voit, now… Joey Gallo?

The San Diego Padres are rumored to be interested in acquiring a second slugger from the New York Yankees, as a means of bolstering their inconsistent, Fernando Tatis Jr.-less lineup.

According to MLB insider Robert Murray, the Padres are locked in on Gallo, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s followed the team for the last few years; they were interested in him in 2020, 2021, and earlier this spring. Ahead of last summer’s trade deadline, a potential Gallo-Eric Hosmer exchange looked possible, until the Yankees swooped in. Good thing, too, as he went on to lead MLB with a whopping 213 strikeouts last year.

Ultimately, A Gallo trade reeks of desperation. He was on fire ahead of last summer’s trade deadline, with 25 home runs in 95 games. Getting him then made sense for any team in need of some more pop in the lineup. But since going to the Yankees, his offensive production has plummeted, so the Padres still being interested only tells the world that they’ll take almost anyone. Over 58 games this season, Gallo is hitting just .180/.295/.360 with a .655 OPS. He also played exactly 58 games after the trade last season, and hit .160/.303/.404 with a .707 OPS.

Overall, Gallo’s career makes the Padres’ interest in him very confusing. He doesn’t hit well in inter-league games, and since he’s spent his entire career in the American League, that means he doesn’t do well against National League pitching. 99 games isn’t a small sample size, either. Aside from the San Francisco Giants, Gallo’s numbers against the Padres’ NL West rivals aren’t great, either.

The best thing you can say about Gallo is that he’s a two-time Gold Glove winner, and better glovework never hurts. Unfortunately for him, the Padres’ defense is already solid; their biggest need is bat power, and he isn’t delivering.

Maybe a change of scenery and a less intense environment will help Gallo, but it’s a huge risk to take. The Padres have already made some questionable additions in Voit and Robinson Cano this season, and what they really need is a proven hitter.