Joey Gallo might’ve felt like a “piece of s—t” before the Yankees traded him to the Dodgers this past season, but now he’s feeling like a million bucks — $11 million, to be precise.
The Twins signed the former Yankees outfielder to a one-year deal on Friday, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported. Minnesota will be the 29-year-old’s fourth team after what was a short-but-disastrous stint in New York followed by an only marginally better performance in Los Angeles.
The much maligned outfielder slashed .162/.277.393 in 44 games with the Dodgers after slashing .159/.282/.339 in 82 games for the Yankees and being shipped out of town on Aug. 3.
Perhaps another change of scenery will help the former two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner.
Just two seasons ago, Gallo put up a 4.7 WAR and the Yankees acquired him from the Rangers in a significant deal in which they dealt four prospects in exchange for the lefty slugger. But Gallo’s success in Texas never materialized in New York. He finished his brief Yankees career with a .159 average and 194 strikeouts in 140 games with his home run numbers also way down.
Gallo was also the target of merciless boos and heckling to the point that it extended to other players — after Aaron Hicks made a series of miscues in a game against the Rays in September, fans at Yankee Stadium showered him with a “Joey Gallo” chant.
Still, the power hitting Gallo offers the Twins plenty of potential value.
From 2017 through 2019, Gallo hit 103 home runs, including 41 in 2017 and 40 in 2018. He was also a Gold Glove winner in 2020 and 2021. And the Twins hope he can help fill a void after they missed out on re-signing Carlos Correa, who bolted for the Giants earlier this week.
Whether he recaptures something resembling his old form remains to be seen, though Minnesota could provide friendly confines — as The Athletic notes, Gallo has a .632 career slugging percentage in 62 plate appearances at Target Field.
Given his play the last couple of years, however, next season figures to be make or break for the former Yankee.