White Sox Add Former All-Star To Roster In Surprise Move

Pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training for the White Sox, but it appears that Chris Getz is not done adding to his Spring Training roster, as the White Sox announced another player has been signed to a deal.

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with OF/1B Joey Gallo on a minor-league contract which includes a non-roster invite to Spring Training.

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 14, 2025

The White Sox have announced they have signed outfielder/first basemen Joey Gallo to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.

This is a particularly interesting signing, as Gallo is just 31 and has over 200 career homeruns, however, his career batting average is only .194.

Last year Gallo played for the Nationals, appearing in 76 games. In those 76 games, he hit just .161 but added 10 homeruns, 27 RBIs, and walked 32 times. He had a .277 OBP, which is pretty solid when you consider his average was .161.

Joey Gallo goes deep! pic.twitter.com/AGt1hdMHO0

— optimistic nats fan (@optimistic5518) June 4, 2024

Gallo was a member of the Twins in 2023, where he hit 21 homeruns for them in 111 games. However, Gallo is most known for his 2021 season for the Rangers and Yankees, where he had an all-star season. He hit just .199 but added 38 homeruns, 77 RBIs, and walked 111 times, which was the best in the major leagues. That season was good for a very solid 4.6 WAR.

Gallo was also an all-star in 2019, where he hit .253 with 22 homeruns and 49 RBIs in just 70 games for the Rangers. That season he accumulated 3.1 WAR and was on pace for over 40 homeruns.

At this point, Gallo still offers elite power and will draw his walks, but he will strikeout a ton. However, Gallo is a very good fielder, as he has won two Gold Gloves. The White Sox could use some solid defense and power in the outfield, but the road to make the team may be difficult for Gallo.

This is crazy..

In 60 games as a center fielder, Joey Gallo is hitting .250 with a .950-OPS.... HUH???

I wonder if position plays a role in how comfortable players feel in general, and if it carries into the box pic.twitter.com/o04MYvt0Cl

— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) January 31, 2025

The White Sox currently have five outfielders on the major league roster, so it may be hard to make it as an outfielder. However, Gallo can play first base as well, so he could push for a platoon with Andrew Vaughn at first and/or DH.

While Gallo hasn't been an all-star since 2021, he still offers tremendous upside with his power, and since the White Sox hit the least amount of homeruns in the league last year, they could definitely use some power.