The Colorado Rockies have had a fairly uneventful offseason. Coming off a franchise-worst 103 losses in 2023, the team entered this winter aiming to address their pitching staff as they unofficially enter a full rebuild as a club. The team has a core of exciting young talent with more on the way along with a a variety of veteran staples such as Kyle Freeland, Charlie Blackmon, Ryan McMahon, and Kris Bryant. The team’s starting rotation on the other hand is far from solid. The team will miss the contributions of two of their pitchers due to Tommy John surgery, and the rest of the depth is quite shallow. The Rockies acquired Cal Quantrill in a trade with the Guardians and recently signed Dakota Hudson to a one-year deal. There have been a myriad of minor league signings, but the Rockies appear to be trying to fill out the fringe portions of their roster. Jacob Stallings was signed to serve as the backup catcher, but the Rockies still have a desire to fill out other spots on the bench.

Thomas Harding of MLB.com recently reported that the Rockies are looking to add a depth outfield piece capable of playing all three outfield positions and is preferably a left-handed hitter. Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors built upon this report and offered a few ideas. There is no shortage of extra outfielders the Rockies could add, but the name that Adams threw out is that of Joey Gallo, which begs the question; would get be a good fit?

Originally drafted by the Texas Rangers out of the first round in 2012, Gallo quickly made a name for himself in Texas as a premier slugger. His three-year stretch from 2017-19 with Texas was highlighted by 103 home runs in 363 games. He had back-to-back seasons in ’17 and ’18 with 40 home runs and there is a strong possibility he could have done the same in ’19 if not injuries that limited him to just 70 games, but he still hit 22 long balls. During another strong campaign in 2021, Gallo was traded to the New York Yankees at the deadline where his career took a turn for the worse. In parts of two seasons with the Yankees, Gallo maintained the long ball, but the peripherals of his batting profile continued to be a growing problem and he found himself traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His struggles followed him there and he ended up signing as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins for the 2023 season where things didn’t change for the better.

Once again, Gallow finds himself a free agent and while he is a complex player, there is something to consider for the Rockies.

As mentioned, Gallo is a power threat. After a 22-homer campaign with the Twins last season, Gallo now sits at 198 career home runs, a mark that sits as the 11th most among outfielders since 2015. Gallo’s 22 home runs in 2023 would have ranked second on the Rockies, just behind McMahon and just ahead of rookie Nolan Jones. Power has been severely lacking in Colorado since the departures of Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story. C.J. Cron provided plenty of pop the last few seasons, as has McMahon, but home runs have been lacking across the board for a team that plays half its games at altitude in Coors Field.

The team ranked 27th in home runs with the outfield ranking 20th in all of baseball. Blackmon isn’t much for power anymore and will be the primary designated hitter while Bryant has yet to find his power stroke after two seasons and is now moving to first base primarily, leaving the Rockies quite desperate for some more pop in the outfield. Gallo would definitely provide that as his .440 SLG would have tied for second on the team among qualified batters.

The power is a wonderful thing, but what makes Gallo such a risky signing offensively is that he is the epitome of a three-true-outcomes type of hitter. Since 2015, only Keon Broxton has a higher strikeout rate (38.6) than Gallo (37.9) and he hasn’t played in the Majors since 2019. Gallo is going to strike out, a lot. In six of his nine seasons, he has struck out at least 100 times, including two seasons with over 200 strikeouts. In 2021 he led the league in strikeouts with 213 and punched out 145 times last season. Gallo swings big and comes up empty quite a bit, resulting in plenty of whiffs and strikeouts.

The lack of contact has played quite a bit into why he has hit .250 in a season just once, and that was when he only played 70 games. When he does make contact, he hits the ball hard over 50% of the time with a career exit velocity of 23.2 degrees. He smokes plenty of baseballs but does tend to rely on the fly ball a bit too much which can be a disadvantage if he doesn’t connect well enough. Still, it’s fun to imagine what he could do making contact with the vast dimensions of Coors Field, though the hangover effect on the road would negate any of that positivity rather quickly.

When Gallo isn’t swinging, he has shown an ability to have a keen eye at the plate. While leading the lead in strikeouts in 2021, he also led the league in walks with 111. His 14.8% career walk rate is nearly double the MLB average. That is a valuable trait that has done a lot of heavy lifting to maintain a career .323 OBP and a 109 OPS+. It would also be a welcome trait for the Rockies. In both strikeouts and walks the team sat around the middle of the pack, but both have been a problem for the Rockies for several years.

Gallo would likely provide plenty of pop in the lineup and draw a good amount of walks, but strikeouts would be plentiful and those hits may come too far and few between. But his value could also be measured in some defensive capabilities.

A two-time Gold Glove Award-winner, Gallo sports a career 42 defensive runs saved in the outfield. Despite some lower marks for his Ultimate Zone Rating, Gallo still features positive metrics in the outfield thanks to a strong arm and good enough range to handle any of the outfield positions. He is more tailored for corner outfielder duty but can play center field in a pinch as needed. This would work for the Rockies as Jones will man left field while Brenton Doyle patrols center. The duo turned in two of the best defensive seasons for outfielders in team history with Jones setting the franchise record for outfield assists and Doyle winning his first Gold Glove Award.

The complication with signing Gallo is that it would become increasingly likely that he would be more than just a depth piece for the team. Right field isn’t quite set in stone, but Bud Black mentioned there are about six players to cycle between first base, DH, and right field in 2024. Sean Bouchard, Michael Toglia, and Hunter Goodman are all vying for playing time in right field but Blackmon and Bryant could be in the mix as well. Not to mention there are plenty of outfield prospects knocking on the doors of the big leagues. While Gallo might be the best defensive choice and has the advantage of being a lefty-hitter, with his reputation would he be willing to take a lesser role as a bench player and pinch hitter with two or three starts a week?

The Rockies are definitely a difficult mystery to solve and one can never track what exactly they are going to do. This is the type of team that would end up signing Gallo despite being in the midst of a rebuild. If they did sign him with the intention of being a depth bench piece, he would likely get the bulk of playing time and the team could be unable to help him conquer his struggles.

The free agent case of Joey Gallo is a complicated one. There are definitely positives to bringing him to Colorado, but are those enough to outweigh the cons that come along with him? In this humble writer’s opinion, they are not.