According to reports, the Nationals have kicked off 2024 by securing the services of 30-year-old first baseman/outfielder and former Minnesota Twins Joey Gallo to a one-year deal valued at $5 million.

Gallo now has another opportunity to re-establish himself as an above-average player, and the Nationals don't have to break the bank for his services this year.

Returning to the Nationals' signing of Gallo, the left-handed batter, whom Rizzo was eager to bring on board, showed improvement from a challenging 2022. In the 2023 season, Gallo posted a batting line of .177/.301/.440/104 wRC+. However, his strikeout rate remained high at 42.8%, and his defense was labeled "mediocre," contributing to a 0.7 WAR.

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Gallo has played in only two post-seasons over his nine-year career, which came as a New York Yankee in 2021 and with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022.

This signing shouldn't surprise Nationals fans, as the team has expressed interest in nurturing the development of their young prospects in the upcoming season.

Yeah, this signing shouldn’t drive a lot of new ticket sales as a signing of, let’s say, Shohei Ohtani or Cody Bellinger, but the signing will bring some veteran leadership and a veteran voice to the young Nationals clubhouse.

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