MINNEAPOLIS — Two months after saying goodbye to their own all-or-nothing slugger, the Twins found another on Friday.
Joey Gallo, who owns 177 home runs over eight seasons despite a career batting average of just .199, agreed to a one-year free-agent contract with the Twins on Friday, a major league source confirmed. Gallo owns a pair of 40-home-run seasons with the Rangers, and hit 38 just two seasons ago.
But Gallo has also struck out more than 200 times in two different seasons, and 196 in another, a pattern reminiscent of former Twins infielder Miguel Sano, who became a free agent in October. In fact, Sano is the only player in MLB history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts faster than Gallo, doing so in 661 career games to Gallo's 715.
