Cleveland Indians: 3 players to rule out from trade deadline talk

Player #3 to rule out for the Cleveland Indians

There’s been talk of the Cleveland Indians adding a left-handed power bat to the lineup to compliment Franmil Reyes‘ right-handed swing in the order. While Joey Gallo crosses off those boxes, he still might not be the one to target for the Tribe.

A rather versatile player in terms of positions, Gallo can play in the outfield, first and third. This season, the Texas Rangers have mainly played him in right field where he’s posted a .984 fielding percentage due to a pair of errors. He was even a Gold Glove winner in 2020.

As for at the plate this year, Gallo has blasted 11 home runs with 28 RBI for Texas while slashing .220/.380/.405. Those numbers aren’t awful, but you might expect more home runs from a player who trades average for power.

As for the contract side, Gallo is making just $6.2 million this season and has another year of arbitration left. While that’s great for his value, it still might be viewed as too much by the ownership group.

For Gallo, his contract is a big plus for his value and his stats are solid. The reason for the Tribe to shy away from making a move for him could be the outgoing price and trade-off. With Bobby Bradley being called up and playing well, there isn’t a need a first. As for the outfield, there’s a decent rotation of talent that might not be as good, but is also already on the roster.

Essentially, it’s probably going to take a lot to get Gallo and the front office won’t be willing to pay that price and sacrifice future assets to get it done.