Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that multiple teams are in on Rangers infielder/outfielder Joey Gallo, including the Indians and Phillies. While the aforementioned teams are considered the frontrunners in any potential deal for the slugger, it doesn’t look like any concrete offers are currently on the table -- and it’s not certain that a trade will be made by Tuesday’s deadline, either.
It’s easy to see why the 24-year-old is attracting such a high level of interest: Despite a batting average of just .190, he’s racked up 25 home runs, a .764 OPS and 1.3 fWAR through his first 392 plate appearances of the season. Those numbers look all the more appealing given that he’s slated to become arbitration-eligible in 2020 and won’t enter free agency until 2023.
While the Phillies don’t appear to have a pressing need for more outfielders or corner infielders at the moment, the Indians could stand to benefit from any healthy, productive outfielder that comes their way. According to FanGraphs, they have the fourth-worst outfield production in the American League, the likely result of patching together a starting trio from Michael Brantley, Rajai Davis and Melky Cabrera while Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin, and Bradley Zimmer deal with various injuries.
