Joey Gallo felt like ‘piece of s–t’ before Yankees traded him

Joey Gallo’s disastrous Yankees career came to a merciless close Tuesday afternoon, when the scuffling outfielder was traded to the Dodgers. 

But Gallo’s time in pinstripes didn’t end without one last disheartening note. 

In a Q+A with NJ Advance Media before Monday’s game against Seattle, Gallo — who lives in Manhattan — admitted that he doesn’t go out often because “people are a little sick of me here.” 

“I really don’t want to show my face too much around here,” Gallo said.

Gallo mentioned that opposing players would frequently reach out to him, imploring him to keep his head up and ignore the persistent boos. 

“It makes me feel like a piece of s–t honestly,” Gallo said. “I remember playing here with the Rangers, watching (Yankee players) get booed off the field and thinking, ‘Holy s–t. I feel bad for the guy.’ Now it’s me. I do appreciate people reaching out, but it makes me feel like I’m a problem.” 

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The Yankees landed Gallo as their splashy acquisition at last year’s trade deadline, giving up four prospects in return for the prized power bat. But Gallo never found his stride: He ends his Yankee career with a .159 average and 194 strikeouts in 140 games. 

“I went through a lot of adversity and I really had to question myself a lot,” Gallo said. “My confidence suffered. I would say I hit rock bottom for the big leagues. So for me, I just was trying to remember to be a good teammate, play the game the right way, play the game hard and not do something that I’d regret. Baseball is a tough game. But it definitely made me stronger because not many people have gone through what I’ve gone through.” 

Gallo also noted that a change of scenery could “help,” and he will get that chance in Los Angeles with a Dodgers team that has the best record in the NL. 

Still, despite all of the criticism, he conceded that a departure would feel bittersweet. 

“I’m actually really going to miss this team, miss these guys,” Gallo said. “It’s going to be really tough to leave these guys. We’ve had a lot of fun. We’re a really close group. But moving on is part of the business. I’m ready.”