Yanks acquire LA's No. 15 prospect for struggling Gallo

NEW YORK -- The Yankees found a new home for Joey Gallo in advance of Tuesday’s Trade Deadline, shipping the struggling outfielder to the Dodgers in exchange for right-hander Clayton Beeter.

Beeter, 23, was rated as the Dodgers’ No. 15 prospect by MLB Pipeline, and now becomes the No. 10 prospect in the Yankees’ system.

The 66th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, Beeter was 0-3 with a 5.75 ERA in 18 games (16 starts) for Double-A Tulsa this season. The curveball artist’s 15.33 strikeouts per nine innings (88 in 51 2/3 innings) rank second among all Minor Leaguers who have tossed at least 50 innings.

TRADE DETAILS
Yankees get: RHP Clayton Beeter
Dodgers get: OF Joey Gallo

The trade continues a hectic week for the Yankees, who have acquired outfielder Andrew Benintendi plus right-handers Scott Effross, Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino ahead of the Trade Deadline.

“I feel like we’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of guys that can be key contributors on a given night,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Boone said he expected to have Effross and Trivino active in the bullpen for Tuesday’s game against the Mariners. Montas is scheduled to join the Yankees during their upcoming series in St. Louis; Boone said that Montas’ mother-in-law passed away recently.

Gallo is a prime candidate for a change of scenery, having endured a nightmarish calendar year after being acquired by the Yankees from the Rangers last July. In 140 games as a Yankee, Gallo slashed .159/.291/.368 with 25 home runs and 46 RBIs, striking out 194 times in 421 at-bats.

“I have a lot of respect for how he worked, how he carried himself and who he was in that room,” Boone said. “I think a lot of us really feel for the situation he was in, the burden he felt and carried. I think a lot of us, myself included, very much hope that he goes and recaptures what we all know he’s capable of doing. I’ll truly be rooting for him from afar.”

This season, Gallo slashed just .159/.282/.339 with 12 home runs and 24 RBIs, and as his playing time grew sporadic, it was increasingly clear that the Yankees planned to move him by the Deadline.

“It didn’t work out here, but I do appreciate that Joey never stopped trying, never stopped working, never stopped caring,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “He gave it his best shot. We had high hopes and I’m sure he did, too, but that’s the wave of successes and failures in the game of life.”

Boone said he spoke with Gallo by telephone on Tuesday and hopes to have an in-person conversation before Gallo heads west.

“Clearly, this place [New York] had an adverse effect on Joey,” Boone said.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Gallo expressed regret that his time in pinstripes did not measure up to expectations.

“Every time I see a Yankees hat, every time I see a Yankees jersey, it’s something I’m going to have to understand,” Gallo said. “I didn’t play well as a Yankee. I wish I had.”