MLB Rumors: Joey Gallo, Nationals Agree to 1-Year, $5M Contract After Twins Stint

The Washington Nationals and outfielder Joey Gallo have agreed to a one-year deal worth $5 million, per Andrew Golden of the Washington Post.

The contract, which is pending a physical, also contains an additional $1 million in performance bonuses.

The 30-year-old Gallo posted 21 home runs and 40 RBI in 111 games for the Minnesota Twins last season. He hit .177 with a .741 OPS.

The nine-year MLB veteran is feast-or-famine at the dish, sporting lifetime per-162 game averages of 37 home runs and 224 strikeouts. His strikeout rate is second to none among those with at least 3,000 plate appearances, per Eric Cross of FTN Fantasy and Rotoballer.

However, Gallo fared quite well in the field, notably winning a pair of Gold Gloves in 2020 and 2021. He's also adept at drawing walks and getting on base, doing so at a .323 career clip.

The two-time All-Star joins a Nats team that just finished last in the National League East with a 71-91 record.

As Mark Zuckerman of MASN noted, Gallo helps address the team's need for left-handed power, and he's "likely" to play left field in Washington while taking over for Joey Meneses at times at first base.

However, it's possible that Gallo doesn't make it through the entire season in Washington. Zuckerman explained why:

"With top outfield prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews likely to make their major-league debuts sometime this season, Gallo could wind up a candidate to be dealt at the trade deadline, the Nats hoping he can generate interest from a contender just as third baseman Jeimer Candelario did last year after signing a comparable $5 million deal."

For now, though, it appears Gallo will be manning left field as the Nats look to move up the standings. Opening Day for Washington will be Thursday, March 28 in Cincinnati.