St. Louis Cardinals: The other Texas Ranger to go after

Joey Gallo has long been on St. Louis Cardinals fans’ radar as a trade target and 2021 might be the best time to get him.

As bad as it feels like things are going for the St. Louis Cardinals, there is always a bigger fish. In this case, that means that there are always worse teams, despite how you might think the Cardinals were doing if you had just looked through social media.

Also in this case, the worse situation I am referring to is that of the Texas Rangers. At 26-47, the Rangers are already 19 games out of the division lead in the AL East and despite having the flash-in-a-pan success of former Cardinal Jose Adolis Garcia, there aren’t many standouts on their roster.

The Cardinals may come knocking asking for the Rangers’ prized arm, Kyle Gibson, but if they go looking for a bat, there is one name that has been floated around Cardinals Nation for years: Joey Gallo.

While there is no concrete report that the Cardinals have reached out to Texas about Gallo, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch mentions here that the Cardinals and Texas have had contact.

Gallo, 27, is such an interesting name because of his standout tools. Notably, his power and defense. Capable of playing above-average defense at third base, first base, or anywhere in the outfield, Gallo could fit in wherever the Cardinals need him.

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At the plate is where the fun is for Gallo. Since his debut in 2015, he has played over 100 games twice, smashing over 40 homers each of those years but batting under .210 and striking out nearly 200 times as well. When he’s healthy, that is exactly the type of player he is. The problem, however, is keeping Gallo healthy.

In 2021, Gallo has already hit 13 homers, but his overall slugging is down at the moment. To be fair to his 2021 though, Gallo does lead the MLB with 56 walks. With Tyler O’Neill manning the 5th spot in the lineup, the potential of Gallo’s bat in the six-hole would add another much-needed contributor to the fold.

Some have argued that Gallo wouldn’t fit in St. Louis because of who he is as a pitcher. Gallo is extremely volatile and his hit tool isn’t his strength. It’s all about power.

In years past, Gallo’s price tag via trade might’ve been higher, but right now he’s got two years of control left and is wasting away on the lowly Rangers. With his power bat in St. Louis, he could stabilize the outfield and add to the offense.