The star-crossed paths of Andrew Benintendi and Joey Gallo in New York
Two briefly New York Yankee outfielders are on the move, after Andrew Benintendi and Joey Gallo sign new contracts, but on very different terms.
The Yankees had two outfielders for part of last season and both are now on the move again. Picking up Andrew Benintendi at the transfer window as a replacement for Joey Gallo, both of the briefly-Yankee outfielders have now agreed new contracts, although on very different footing.
Andrew Benintendi and Joey Gallo both fit a type, just the type that the pinstripes love as it turns out, although Benintendi has had more success in the Bronx with the bat than Gallo did.
Originally, Joey Gallo had a respectable amount of success with Texas before being picked up by New York in 2021. Just one year later, that success never having translated to the Big Apple, he was sent to Los Angeles as part of a fire sale deal.
The hole that he left in the lineup was filled by Benintendi, who the Yankees picked up from Kansas City. While he got off to a slow start, Benintendi was warming into his role when he was injured in early September, with a broken hand that required surgery.
Today, both former Yankee outfielders are on the move again. Benintendi’s move is one of a rising star who has suffered injuries, while Gallo’s may be his last chance to prove that he belongs in the Show.
The Chicago White Sox have invested handsomely in Benintendi, coming to terms on a five-year contract worth $75 million, showing that they believe that he can be a long-term asset to the south siders.
His numbers would seem to bear this out, going .304, with a .373 OBP and a respectably low 14.8% strikeout rate last season. A former Gold Glove winner and All-Star, his promise is substantial.
Joey Gallo is facing an entirely different prospect, coming to an agreement with the Minnesota Twins for a single season and $11 million.
Gallo was fearsome when he was in Texas, although his “three true outcomes” approach always made him a big gamble. The Rangers fans, however, were not expecting home runs every swing and so forgave Joey his faults, even embracing him to a certain extent as a flawed but lovable canon-armed outfielder.
All of that changed, however, when he went to New York. Yankee fans were not willing to carry anyone who didn’t produce, and after a rocky time in the Bronx, he was sold at a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While the Dodgers were able to squeeze a little production out of Gallo at the end of the season, they were not able in their short time together to “fix” Joey.
His move to Minnesota is likely to be his last, unless he can address his career .199 batting average. The big home runs are eye-catching, but someone who strikes out 160 times in 350 at-bats is going to find themselves untenable in very short order.
While both of these men found themselves briefly in pinstripes, two ships passing in the night, the seas ahead of Joey Gallo are considerably more choppy than those that Andrew Benintendi have ahead of him.