Former St. Louis Cardinals closer Giovanny Gallegos is signing a minor-league deal with a spring training invite with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, according to a source. Gallegos hit the free-agent market mid-season after being designated for assignment by the Cardinals before latching on with the Minnesota Twins in early August. The 33-year-old right-handed reliever didn't reach the majors with Minnesota late in the year, though, and finished the 2024 campaign with a career-worst 6.53 ERA (6.36 FIP) while picking up one save with a 1.64 WHIP and 21:10 K:BB in just 20 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in St. Louis. The Mexican pitcher will look to bounce back with the World Series champions. Gallegos has 45 career saves in eight big-league seasons with a decent 3.49 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 29.6% strikeout rate, so he could work his way into a setup role for LA if he can rediscover his form.

The Minnesota Twins signed free-agent right-handed reliever Giovanny Gallegos to a minor-league deal on Tuesday after he was recently designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals. The Twins will take a flier on Gallegos, who has 45 career saves in eight major-league seasons with the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals. The 32-year-old Mexican reliever wasn't healthy earlier this year for the Cardinals, and his performance suffered, as he posted a career-worst 6.53 ERA (6.36 FIP), a 1.64 WHIP, one save, 21 strikeouts and 10 walks in 20 2/3 innings pitched in relief. It remains to be seen if Gallegos can turn things around to close out the year, or if he'll even get a shot at the big-league level with Minnesota, but he does have plenty of high-leverage experience and saved 38 games from 2021-23 in St. Louis.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos has been designated for assignment by the organization. The right-hander has been a big part of the Cardinals bullpen over the last handful of years. However, Gallegos struggled heavily on the mound so far this season. He holds a 6.53 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 21/10 K/BB ratio across 21 appearances. The 32-year-old was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Kyle Leahy. Gallegos has been bad, but he does have a solid track record. It wouldn't be shocking at all to see another team give him a chance.

The St. Louis Cardinals activated right-hander Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list on Friday and optioned right-hander Adam Kloffenstein to Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Rookie outfielder Victor Scott II was also returned to Memphis after serving as the 27th player for Thursday's contest against the San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field. The two teams are off on Friday before resuming the series on Saturday, at which point the 32-year-old Gallegos will be back in St. Louis' bullpen. He's been sidelined since early May due to a right-shoulder impingement. Gallegos has been a key late-inning man for the Cardinals in the past, but he wasn't pitching well before his injury and didn't look great on his minor-league rehab assignment, either. He's returning to a 12.00 ERA and 2.33 WHIP with 13 K's and a save in nine innings pitched this year.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) will start a minor-league rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A Memphis. Gallegos is nearing a return to St. Louis' big-league bullpen after being put on the injured list in early May due to a right-shoulder impingement. If the 32-year-old Mexican reliever can avoid any setbacks on his rehab assignment this weekend, he could return to the Cardinals' bullpen early next week. Gallegos will be hoping to be more effective as a late-inning setup man in front of closer Ryan Helsley when he returns, as he had surrendered 12 earned runs on 14 hits (five home runs) while walking seven and striking out 13 in just nine relief innings for the Red Birds before landing on the shelf. The Cardinals aren't going to rush him back until he's ready.

The St. Louis Cardinals placed right-hander Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a right-shoulder impingement and selected the contract of right-hander Chris Roycroft from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Gallegos didn't record an out while giving up three earned runs on three hits for his first loss of the season against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, but it appears he wasn't pitching at 100 percent health. The 32-year-old allowed seven earned runs while recording no outs in his last two appearances, so something clearly wasn't right. The two poor outings have raised his ERA to a rough 12.00 on the year. With Gallegos on the shelf for at least the next two weeks, the Cards will ask more of setup men JoJo Romero and Andrew Kittredge.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos recorded the save in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Dodgers. The 32-year-old came on in the tenth after closer Ryan Helsley allowed two runs in the ninth, knotting the game at five runs apiece. The Cardinals scored one in the top of the tenth and brought Gallegos on to close it out. Despite striking out the first two batters he faced, it wasn't without suspense though. With a runner starting on second base in extra innings, Gallegos gave up an infield single to the third batter and walked the next to load the bases. The righty finally got Shohei Ohtani to pop out to end the game. One blown save wouldn't be enough the wrest the closer job from Helsley, but if he continued to falter it would be Gallegos that is next in line for save chances.

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Giovanny Gallegos picked up his 10th save of the season on Sunday, holding down a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gallegos didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one in his inning of work. The Cardinals seem to be using a closer-by-committee approach right now, with JoJo Romero getting his fair share of chances along with Gallegos. That being said, Ryan Helsley was just activated from the IL on Friday and if he pitches well he could jump back into the closer role that he held to start the season. Gallegos is best left to deeper categories leagues for those desperate for saves.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos closed out the 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. He threw one inning, allowing no baserunners and striking out one to earn his ninth save of the season and his first since June 9. Gallegos is having another solid season out of the bullpen, pitching to a 3.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 25.1% strikeout rate. With Ryan Helsley (forearm) on the injured list and Jordan Hicks shipped at the deadline, the 31-year-old could see his fair share of save opportunities for the time being.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos recorded four outs with one strikeout to close the team's 7-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. In doing so, the 31-year-old leapfrogged Ryan Helsley as the team leader in saves (eight). That's not say the latter hasn't done his part; Helsley has a pleasing 3.24 ERA (2.14 xERA) with 33 punchouts over 25 innings this year. However, the closing gig has evidently developed into a full-blown timeshare. Fantasy managers who spent significant draft capital on Helsley may dread this, but those who took a late-round flier on Gallegos are likely celebrating. The right-hander needs to be rostered in most competitive fantasy leagues at this point if he wasn't already. Gallegos has an acceptable 3.51 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB over 25 2/3 innings this season.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Giovanny Gallegos allowed one run on two hits while striking out two to earn the save in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The 31-year-old entered the game with two on base in the eighth inning to protect a one-run lead. He got Jake Fraley to ground out to end the inning. Gallegos allowed a double and single before closing things out in the ninth for his fifth save. He owns a 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 20:4 K: BB across 20 1/3 innings in 2023. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Gallegos as he continues splitting closing duties for the Cardinals with Ryan Helsley.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos allowed one hit over a scoreless inning to earn the save during Saturday's 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. The Cardinal's primary closer, Ryan Helsley, was unavailable after throwing two innings on Friday. Gallegos needed just 11 pitches to make quick work of Boston to notch his third save of the season. The 31-year-old is 3-for-4 in save opportunities with a 2.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts over 14 2/3 innings in 2023. Gallegos should be rostered in most league formats after racking up 14 saves in back-to-back seasons.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos completed his second save of the season on Tuesday when he shut down the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning to protect the 6-4 lead. He threw a perfect inning with no strikeouts or walks, bringing his ERA down to 2.63 with a 22.6% strikeout rate, 3.8% walk rate, and 1.02 WHIP over 13.2 innings. Closer Ryan Helsley pitched three of the previous four days, so it's likely that he was unavailable. Fantasy managers should expect Gallegos to continue to be second on the closer depth chart and add on to the two holds that he already has this year.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos picked up his first save of the 2023 campaign after pitching the ninth inning of the 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. He threw a perfect frame and recorded one strikeout. Gallegos has looked just as dominant as the past couple of seasons, as he has yet to allow a run score in four innings of work while striking out seven and walking no one. However, despite the right-hander's brilliance on the mound, Ryan Helsley remains the closer and earned saves on Tuesday and Wednesday. Gallegos is still a relevant fantasy arm with his ratios, strikeouts, and occasional save, but he has way more value in hold leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos was unavailable in Thursday's 10-9 Opening Day loss against the Toronto Blue Jays due to a lower-back ailment, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. As of now, he's considered day-to-day. Gallegos looks to be a big part of the club's bullpen again in 2023 after posting a 3.05 ERA, 31.1% strikeout rate, and 1.02 WHIP last season. However, the right-hander only tallied 14 saves after losing the closer role to Ryan Helsley mid-season and is once again projected behind the latter on the depth chart. Gallegos should be second in line for the ninth but will be more valuable in hold leagues when healthy as the Cardinals will use him in high-leverage spots.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos will not make his spring training debut in Saturday's Grapefruit League game as he continues to adjust to MLB's new pitch-clock timer in 2023. Last year, Gallegos averaged 25.8 seconds between pitches with nobody on base, which tied Yankees pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga for the slowest tempo. Per MLB's new rules, pitchers will be required to begin their pitching motion 15 seconds after they've received the ball if the bases are empty. It expands to 20 seconds with runners on base. Gallegos had the second-slowest time (30.8 seconds) in 2022 with runners on. The 31-year-old right-hander lost the closing gig last year to Ryan Helsley, but he finished with a 3.05 ERA, 12 holds, 14 saves and 73 K's in 59 innings. It will be interesting to see if the quicker tempo for pitchers in 2023 has a negative impact on Gallegos.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos knows that he'll need to pick up his pace on the mound in 2023 given the changes to MLB rules -- pitchers are now mandated to throw a pitch within 15 seconds of receiving the ball from the catcher with the bases empty. Gallegos was one of baseball's slowest workers on the mound last year with the bases empty. "It's hard for me. It's a new experience and a big challenge for me," Gallegos said. "I am trying to make some adjustments about the timing, but it's a big change." The 31-year-old said he had a faster pace when he came up with the New York Yankees as a starter, but his tempo slowed as a reliever. He converted only 14 of 20 save chances in 2022 and lost the closing gig to Ryan Helsley. Even without saves, Gallegos is valuable in holds leagues after posting a 3.05 ERA with 73 K's in 59 innings pitched.

The St. Louis Cardinals signed right-handed reliever Giovanny Gallegos to a two-year contract extension on Monday that includes a club option for the 2025 season. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 31-year-old is 3-5 this year for St. Louis with a 2.91 ERA (2.76 FIP), a 0.97 WHIP, 14 saves and 72 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings pitched. He's converted 28 of his 42 save opportunities in the last two seasons and also has 36 holds, making him plenty valuable to both the Cardinals and fantasy managers despite not being the full-time closer. Gallegos should once again be valuable to fantasy managers in holds leagues in 2023.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos recorded his 11th save of the season on Saturday to close out his club's 1-0 win over the Yankees. Ryan Helsley, who's taken over primary closing duties, worked the previous two days in a row so it was Gallegos who received the ninth-inning call in this one. The right-hander got a fly out and a pair of strikeouts in the clean frame in what marked his first save since July 12. After a rocky July, Gallegos has strung together six-straight scoreless appearances to give him a 3.27 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 52 K through 41 1/3 IP. Although his stats would hold up for fantasy purposes, the fact that he isn't the main closing option significantly hinders his fantasy value.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos didn't make things easy but did pick up his 10th save of the season in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers. Gallegos entered to pitch the ninth inning with a two-run lead. He allowed a leadoff solo home run to Freddie Freeman, struck the next two hitters out, put the tying run on first with a walk, and got the final out on a fly out. Gallegos does lead the Cardinals in saves this season and has a respectable 3.44 ERA and 11.12 K/9 rate, but he has also blown five saves and has been outpitched by his teammate Ryan Helsley, who has seven saves of his own. Both carry fantasy value, but Helsley seems like the better fantasy option of the two at this time given overall performance in high-leverage situations.