Friday Newsletter time: It might get awkward, but Texas Rangers still plan to give away 15,000 Joey Gallo bobbleheads
The two-time All-Star was traded Thursday, two days before a promotion honoring his Gold Glove defense.
A team starts working on its promotional schedule in the offseason, and when the Texas Rangers sat down last fall to hammer there’s out, they wanted Joey Gallo to be included.
But because of COVID-19, they didn’t know when the 2021 season would start. Complicating matters is that the bobbleheads they wanted to give away are made in China, the epicenter of the coronavirus, and shipping can take forever.
One more speed bump: The Rangers still had all of the bobbleheads they were unable to give away in 2020, and had to work any new bobbleheads into the schedule not knowing when the shipment from overseas would arrive.
As such, their hopes to give away Gold Glove bobbleheads for Gallo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa early in the season were dashed. The soonest they could do it would be Saturday and Aug. 14.
So, the Rangers have 15,000 bobbleheads of the right fielder making a diving catch but no Gallo, who was traded Thursday to the New York Yankees.
Chuck Morgan, the Rangers’ executive vice president of all things ballpark entertainment, said the giveaway is still on.
“Knowing that a lot of fans probably bought tickets to get the Gallo bobblehead, I felt that it is the right thing to do to give these away this Saturday,” he said. “Things like this happen. Hasn’t happened much here in my 38 years with the Rangers, but it does happen. I think the right thing to do is give them away to our fans.”
The Kiner-Falefa giveaway is the same day Morgan and Adrian Beltre will be inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame, so it’s a big day.
Gallo joked on Tuesday that he would get a shipment of his bobblehead whether he was with the Rangers or not.
Changes coming?
One major change came Thursday, with Gallo and Joely Rodriguez sent to New York. More are expected Friday before the 3 p.m. trade deadline in deals involving Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy.
Their departures would drop the Rangers’ 40-man roster to 36. Those roster spots could go to players in the minor leagues who are not on the 40-man.
One could go to right-hander Drew Anderson, the Rangers’ best starter at Triple A Round Rock. A few Round Rock relievers could also be on their way up.
Know who else isn’t on the 40-man? Top prospect Josh Jung. He entered Thursday with a .928 OPS in a 133 at-bats at Double A Frisco.
The debate on Jung is whether to keep him at Frisco getting at-bats in a winning environment with other top prospects or to let him get his feet wet in the major leagues.
That could happen in September instead of immediately after the trade deadline, but there is room on the 40-man for him. Just sayin’.
Card of the week
This one seems fitting, considering all that has transpired in the past 36 hours or so.
It’s the Gallo rookie, the 2012 Bowman Chrome. Note how it says he’s a third baseman, but he’s wearing a first baseman’s glove. The card belongs to my son, who you might have seen is a big Gallo fan and former Rangers fan.
The boy likes baseball and is starting to learn more and more players beyond the confines of Globe Life Field. MLB the Show has a lot to do with that, and he also finds highlight videos on YouTube.
The sense here is he’s close to diving into the hobby, and I wanted him to have a head start on a good collection.
So did Anthony Andro, but that’s another story for another card of the week.
Doggy video!
Here’s hoping whatever you do this weekend makes you as happy as this pooch. Enjoy. See you Monday.
Love the doggie video. Talk about energy....wow