Rays interested in Rangers slugger Joey Gallo

The Rays may add power to the lineup with Joey Gallo.

The Tampa Bay Rays picked up yet another victory Sunday to improve to 24-11 on the season. That has the team atop the American League East and in a prime spot to fight with the New York Yankees for that division crown.

But the Rays know a hot start doesn’t define a season, even a shortened one, so the organization is looking to improve before the trade deadline. Rumors have the Rays linked to several players, including a slugger currently with the Texas Rangers.

Rays reportedly looking to add Joey Gallo’s bat

The strength of the Rays lineup so far this year has come from Brandon Lowe. He has 10 home runs and 27 RBIs through Sunday and also sports a 1.010 OPS.

Rangers slugger Joey Gallo stands out as an intriguing trade option even with his .188 batting average this season. He has seven home runs in 30 games and had a combined 103 bombs from 2017-2019. Gallo’s only full MLB seasons came in 2017 and 2018 when he combined for 81 home runs.

The Rangers have a rough 12-21 record and have seen Gallo show promise, but also deal with injuries since debuting in 2015. A trade could be a fresh start for both sides.

Ken Rosenthal mentions how Gallo would fit with the Rays financially. The team has the third-lowest payroll in baseball this year and would get a player with two years of arbitration remaining. Gallo originally earned $4.4 million this season before the prorated salaries came into play.

The Rays may not want to pay Gallo over $4.4 million in 2021 and he could serve as a great rental player for the remainder of 2020. He is capable of hitting 40 home runs when healthy during a normal season and has a career .331 on-base percentage. That makes his career .211 batting average a bit less of a concern.

Tampa is already playing great without Gallo. Adding him would just be a bonus for a team that always seems to succeed with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball.