The Nationals announced that they declined their end of Joey Gallo’s $8M mutual option for the 2025 season. Gallo will instead receive a $2.5M buyout as he heads into free agency for the third consecutive winter. Last offseason, Gallo signed a one-year deal with Washington worth $5M in guaranteed money, broken down as a $2.5M salary and then at least $2.5M via the buyout.
The rebuilding Nats have made a habit of signing veterans to short-term deals and then looking to flip them at the trade deadline, though multiple injuries and Gallo’s overall struggles scuttled any trade value. Gallo hit only .161/.277/.336 with 10 home runs over 260 plate appearances, translating to a 76 wRC+ and a below-replacement value of -0.2 fWAR.
Gallo’s 12.3% walk rate and 13.1% barrel rate were still solid in comparison to the rest of the league, if well below his career averages (14.6BB%, 19.6% barrel rate). His 39.2% strikeout rate was slightly higher than his career average, yet the third aspect of Gallo’s “three true outcomes” approach failed him greatly. Gallo’s .175 Isolated Power number was his lowest in any full season.
On the health front, Gallo missed about three weeks due to an AC sprain in his left shoulder, and then over two months due to a hamstring strain. It might be fair to chalk up Gallo’s shaky production to these injuries, though his overall performance has been very up-and-down over the last five seasons, evening out to almost a perfectly average 99 wRC+ in his last 1844 plate appearances.
This inconsistency has led to Gallo playing for five different teams in the last four years, going from the Rangers to the Yankees to the Dodgers in trades, and then to free-agent deals with the Twins and Nationals. He might have to settle for a minor league contract in the wake of his rough 2024 campaign, though Gallo should still draw some attention based on his past track record. Gallo is a veteran of 10 MLB seasons but is still only just a few weeks away from his 31st birthday.
Gallo primarily served as the left-handed side of the Nationals’ first base platoon, with a few appearances in both corner outfield slots and at DH. It was no surprise that Washington would be passing on Gallo’s mutual option, as it is widely assumed that the Nats will be looking for a big upgrade at first base this winter. This could manifest itself as a full-time regular, or perhaps another left-handed bat to split time with Juan Yepez.