Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo hears trade rumors ‘everywhere I go’ as deadline nears
Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo has been here before.
As the MLB trade deadline at 3 p.m. Friday approaches, Gallo has been dealing with the slew of media questions on the topic and just about from everyone he meets.
Even his chiropractor asked him about it. His tailor? He sent a text about it.
“What makes it tough is everywhere I go, someone mentions it,” Gallo said Tuesday before the Rangers opened a two-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field.
“I’ve been through it before, I get it. I know it’s a possibility. I wake up and check my phone and see what team I’m playing for that day and hopefully it’s Texas,” he said.
But this time has been different, he said, because the stories and speculation of his imminent trade seemed to begin just as the season started. As the Rangers, who have lost 12 consecutive games entering Tuesday, have slid to 30 games below .500, the prominence of the speculation has intensified.
At least six teams reportedly are interested in acquiring Gallo, who has 24 home runs and 52 RBIs.
“Pretty much the first game of the season, it was like, yeah, you could get traded,” he said. “So it was always like a constant possibility. Last year it didn’t seem as real.”
The Rangers are giving a Gallo Gold Glove bobblehead to fans at Saturday’s game against the Mariners.
Gallo has seen it and likes how it looks. He’d like to still be here to grab one in person.
“I’ll just have them send it to my apartment,” he joked. “I want to make sure I get one of those.”
Have the trade rumors been a distraction on the field? Gallo has struggled since the All-Star break, but he dismissed the suggestion.
“I’m in kind of in a rut right now … I don’t have a good feel at the plate,” he said. “I try not to think about that stuff when I’m playing. The biggest distraction is just trying to perform no matter what level you’re at. If you’re not doing that it’s tough no matter what’s going on.”
Gallo, who is under contract through the 2022 season, has always said he’s prefer to stay with the club and sign a long-term deal.
“I like Texas a lot. I think it’s a great place, I love living here,” he said. “I’ve been a Texas Ranger my whole life, so it’s hard to envision seeing myself somewhere else. I want to win here for the fans. I don’t want to be on another team and then four or five years down the road see them win and wish I was there to celebrate with them.”
