The Dodgers have signed right-hander Giovanny Gallegos to a minor league deal, MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams reports (links to X). Gallegos will receive an invitation to the team’s big league Spring Training camp, and a $2.5MM base salary if he makes Los Angeles’ active roster with $1.5MM more available in incentives. The deal has three opt-out dates, giving Gallegos some flexibility if the Dodgers have no plans to select his contract.
A veteran of eight Major League seasons, the 33-year-old Gallegos is best known for his tremendous four-year run with the Cardinals from 2019-22, when he posted a 2.84 ERA, 32% strikeout rate, and 6.6% walk rate over 228 1/3 innings out of the St. Louis bullpen. This performance earned him a two-year, $11MM extension in October 2022 that covered Gallegos’ remaining two arbitration years, and gave the Cardinals a $6.5MM club option on Gallegos’ services for 2025.
Gallegos’ performance took a step backwards with a 4.42 ERA in 2023, as his strikeout rate dropped and his home runs totals spiked. This was the harbinger of the right-hander’s very rough 2024 campaign, as Gallegos had a 6.53 ERA in 20 2/3 innings with a host of subpar metrics, as well as six homers allowed in that small sample size.
Between the lack of production and a little over six weeks spent on the IL due to a shoulder impingement, Gallegos pitched himself out of the Cardinals’ plans, as they designated him for assignment and he elected free agency at the start of August. The Twins quickly inked Gallegos to a minor league deal but he didn’t see any time on their big league roster after posting a 4.26 ERA at Triple-A St. Paul with more walks (10) than strikeouts (8) over 12 2/3 innings.
While the arrow has been pointing down on Gallegos over the last two seasons, the Dodgers have a long track record of helping pitchers reclaim past form, or finding new levels of performance. If the L.A. coaches and player development staff can find a fix for the right-hander’s recent woes, the Dodgers could unearth a low-cost arm that can be part of their 2025 bullpen, and perhaps even their late-game mix.
