Minnesota Twins Sign Joey Gallo

[Nashvilletwin]

29 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

As a diehard Twins fan I really struggled to watch the team because of the way the games were managed, the lack of fundamentals, the poor plate approaches, and generally shoddy, uninterested playing style.

Exactly - well said. To add to this, if this is the style of baseball the Twins continue to play, then they will never be competitive. As a small/mid-market team, they need to be exceptional in those areas - not mediocre to below average.

Usually I’m a “watch every game” type of guy regardless of if they are contending. 150 games last season. There are specific reasons I tune in besides just loving baseball and the Twins: Ryan pitching, Buxton, Arraez, and Correa ABs, and/or a young player getting innings.  Could be basically down to Ryan and fewer prospects on that list soon.

I most certainly will not be tuning in to specifically watch Joey Gallo. I would much prefer to watch Julien, Martin, Lee and now likely Larnach and/or Wallner at St. Paul this year. 

[DJL44]

3 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

I most certainly will not be tuning in to specifically watch Joey Gallo. I would much prefer to watch Julien, Martin, Lee and now likely Larnach and/or Wallner at St. Paul this year. 

I would rather watch Nick Gordon play LF again.

[Nashvilletwin]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I would rather watch Nick Gordon play LF again.

100% - he is our most reliably producing outfielder at the moment and very fun to watch. 

After I posted my comment, I thought to myself that Gordon is specifically one of the young guys I’ll tune in for.  Sorry Nick - I left you off my list.

[Dman]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Yet. There are still 1-1.5 WAR pitchers out there. 

CC and two rookies, or three Gallos.....your choice.

I got to tell you I am starting to come around on your theory.  These mid guys generally are not difference makers and at 11 to 15 mil per pop they are not cheap either.  

[Rosterman]

OKAY, HE COSTS MORE AND IS A TAD OLDER THAN kEPLER. STRIKES OUT MORE THAN SANO. AND BATS LEFT-HANDED. ALSO MEANS WE HAVE TO DESIGNATE SOMEONE FOR ASSIGNMENT (CONTRERAS, PERHAPS). 

 

I'm all for opening the pocketbook. So, we replace Sano and Sanchez skill set at the plate with...Gallo? Who can at least play a position, I guess.

 

Meanwhile, the A's gave Trevor May $7 million to pitch.

[jmlease1]

I hate everything about this deal. I hate the fit. I hate the player. I hate the money. I hate the reek of desperation on it. I hate the fact that it pushes younger players down on the depth chart for no discernible reason. I hate the fact that it literally addresses none of the team's actual problems. I hate having to bet on a bounce back year from a player that's shown zero ability to do well with a new environment. (disaster when dealt to the Yankees. Disaster when dealt to the Dodgers) I hate spending millions on a player who hasn't been good in a year and a half. I hate adding in such an all or nothing bat.

I don't know what they are doing here, and right now I don't care if there's a "plan", because this is just an idiotic move. It doesn't matter if they deal Kepler. It doesn't matter if they package together 2-3 of their many LH corner OF. We made a bad signing because we missed on all the big names and star power we thought we might be able to land. I don't care that's it's only 1 year, because a bad 1 year deal is still a bad deal.

There are few singular moves that are truly fireable offenses in baseball...but this is close. This is validating every criticism of the front office this offseason. Right now, this is indefensible. Embarrassing.

[Nashvilletwin]

8 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I hate everything about this deal. I hate the fit. I hate the player. I hate the money. I hate the reek of desperation on it. I hate the fact that it pushes younger players down on the depth chart for no discernible reason. I hate the fact that it literally addresses none of the team's actual problems. I hate having to bet on a bounce back year from a player that's shown zero ability to do well with a new environment. (disaster when dealt to the Yankees. Disaster when dealt to the Dodgers) I hate spending millions on a player who hasn't been good in a year and a half. I hate adding in such an all or nothing bat.

I don't know what they are doing here, and right now I don't care if there's a "plan", because this is just an idiotic move. It doesn't matter if they deal Kepler. It doesn't matter if they package together 2-3 of their many LH corner OF. We made a bad signing because we missed on all the big names and star power we thought we might be able to land. I don't care that's it's only 1 year, because a bad 1 year deal is still a bad deal.

There are few singular moves that are truly fireable offenses in baseball...but this is close. This is validating every criticism of the front office this offseason. Right now, this is indefensible. Embarrassing.

Perfectly stated ??

[twins_89]

For me this signing is a pretty clear indication that the Twins have no intention of fielding a competitive team this season. If I had to guess, I'd say the front office is looking around and saying who can we burn money on that has a chance of building some trade value. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Twins basically hold a 2-3 month fire sale leading up to the trade deadline (with Gray, Mahle, Maeda, Lopez, Pagan, Kepler, Polanco, Arraez, Farmer, Vasquez, and Gallo being on the trade block).

[Taildragger8791]

Hmmmm…$30 million for one great player or $30 million for 3 bad ones? Such a tough decision. 

[TwinsChupacabra]

Can we please finally get rid of the front office and Rocco now?  It's hard to do worse. 

[TwinkieFan4life]

I am a long time Twins fan.  This is the first move they have made that caused me to yell "barf!" upon learning the news.

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, Taildragger8791 said:

Hmmmm…$30 million for one great player or $30 million for 3 bad ones? Such a tough decision. 

Welcome to the club ..  

[jmlease1]

3 minutes ago, TwinsChupacabra said:

Can we please finally get rid of the front office and Rocco now?  It's hard to do worse. 

what does Rocco have to do with this moronic signing? Does anyone actually think that Rocco was agitating for the front office to sign Joey freakin' Gallo?!?

[Pat]

I don’t understand this at all. Another left handed hitting OF. Another strike out prone hitter . For eleven million . This is beyond comprehension . 

[prouster]

3 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Makes sense for what purpose?  Is Gallo going to lead us to the playoffs, let  alone a playoff win?  Are fans going to show up to see Gallo k twice a game? Or buy his jersey?  Is this the move a club makes to position itself for a true run?

Listen, who knows in the mediocre AL Central.  But this is not a move by any stretch of anyone’s imagination that moves the dial for this club in ‘23 and most certainly not in ‘24.  The only redeeming possibility is that he plays well enough that we move him by the deadline for a decent prospect.

Vasquez was a good signing. Farmer made more sense than Urshela in our lineup. We shall see how Gallo for Kepler plus whatever Kepler brings in a trade looks soon I’m sure. But regardless, this is a FO nipping at the edges to try to fill the big gaping hole left by Correa.  

They should only sign players who will single-handedly lead them to the playoffs? Good thing they missed on Correa and DeGrom!

[weitz41]

Yikes! Let's reup Sano as well. That way we have 40% k rate from both side of the plate...

[prouster]

The signing is fine. I understand why some people see Gallo as redundant with Kepler already on the team. My answer to that is that he has a different skill set that gives him higher upside and has had more recent success. What I don’t understand is why some people think the front office views this as a franchise signing. Clearly it isn’t. 

[Nashvilletwin]

12 minutes ago, prouster said:

They should only sign players who will single-handedly lead them to the playoffs? Good thing they missed on Correa and DeGrom!

You are correct - there should be no expectation that any player can really single handedly lead a team to the playoffs. Having said that, is there truly any realistic expectation that Gallo with move the dial in that direction in any meaningful way?  The FO is nibbling at the edges -  Vasquez is strong move, Farmer is a good exchange for Urshela, and Gallo may or may not be an upgrade from Kepler/Larnach/Wallner. Maybe more is to come, but in total do these three moves make the Twins look like a pennant contender in ‘23?  Re Gallo, what are the opportunity costs of $11MM and the ABs for someone who almost certainly won’t be here in ‘24, let alone by the trade deadline.  

 

[weitz41]

I try and be positive about the Twins but JeZus H Ch>>st...Gallo? I tied to say a few things about it, but I give up. I can't even pretend to understand this one...

[Mike h]

Falvey just reached into Polads pocket, pulled out $11m and flushed it down the drain.  This is insane. No other GM in the history of baseball would have made this signing, given this roster. 

[prouster]

13 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

You are correct - there should be no expectation that any player can really single handedly lead a team to the playoffs. Having said that, is there truly any realistic expectation that Gallo with move the dial in that direction in any meaningful way?  The FO is nibbling at the edges -  Vasquez is strong move, Farmer is a good exchange for Urshela, and Gallo may or may not be an upgrade from Kepler/Larnach/Wallner. Maybe more is to come, but in total do these three moves make the Twins look like a pennant contender in ‘23?  Re Gallo, what are the opportunity costs of $11MM and the ABs for someone who almost certainly won’t be here in ‘24, let alone by the trade deadline.  

 

I mean, if at bats for 2024 are the important thing, then everyone should have fun at the lake rather than worrying about the Twins.

Jokes aside, I think there is a way to view this signing positively. Gallo is basically a Kepler replacement with better defense (Kepler’s defense is good, but Gallo is a credible center fielder). He can play DH and 1B with enough power to avoid losing much if any value. Because he can play all three OF positions, DH, and corner infield, he really shouldn’t take at bats away from anyone. In my view, he doesn’t raise the team’s ceiling, but he does raise its floor somewhat. 
 

Not exciting, but not useless. Just my two cents. 

[D.C Twins]

For those few of you that inexplicably think this was a good signing....

Who do you think the FO was bidding against for Gallo besides a figment of Boras's imagination?

What other team do you think was clamoring for his services?

Above and beyond a nonsensical signing, the FO got pantsed on the contract itself. 

I bet you Boras is most thankful this Holiday Season for the Twins FO.

 

[prouster]

2 minutes ago, D.C Twins said:

For those few of you that inexplicably think this was a good signing....

Who do you think the FO was bidding against for Gallo besides a figment of Boras's imagination?

What other team do you think was clamoring for his services?

Above and beyond a nonsensical signing, the FO got pantsed on the contract itself. 

I bet you Boras is most thankful this Holiday Season for the Twins FO.

 

?

11 million is not all that much in the free agent market. And what other Boras client did the Twins sign? It’s SF that gave him money. 

[AceWrigley]

I can only conclude that this a precursor to some other moves that will restructure the roster that puts Gallo as the starting right fielder, otherwise it seems a waste of resources ($$). I'm not a Joey Gallo fan (his name reminds me of the Joe Pesci character in "My Cousin Vinny") because I'm not a great fan of three true outcomes baseball . . . BORING!

I'm not sure where Falvey is going with all this but more and more I miss the Gardenhire gang and fundamentally sound baseball.

Vive las Piranhas!

[pierre75275]

1 hour ago, TwinkieFan4life said:

I am a long time Twins fan.  This is the first move they have made that caused me to yell "barf!" upon learning the news.

There was that Tommy Herr trade......

[Mike h]

I have so many more things to say but my heading is spinning over this stupidity.  What were.....how do.....why would.....,???

I really really want to see what Falvey has to say about this. I can't imagine any behind the scenes scenario that will make him look good. 

Well, it's "only" $11m.  But it's not just how MUCH you spend, it's HOW you spend it.  There is now $11m less to dedicate to a legitimate need. What a waste!

 

[pierre75275]

Is it late to hope he fails his physical?

[tarheeltwinsfan]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !

[howeda7]

3 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

The best thing about this signing is that it is driving traffic to TD, and the owners and writers are getting PAID.

Save your pennies. The traffic during the season might dry up.

[howeda7]

18 minutes ago, pierre75275 said:

Is it late to hope he fails his physical?

Planning a Tonya Harding greeting at the airport?