Royals trade away an emotional Cam Gallagher, fill a need in their farm system

Cam Gallagher plays one of the most grueling positions in sports, definitely the toughest on a baseball diamond, as a catcher.

He showed a glimpse of that toughness earlier this season when he tried to gut his way through a strained hamstring, hobbling around the bases and squatting behind the plate for each pitch.

Gallagher’s toughness isn’t a question. That’s why it’s so striking that being traded by the Kansas City Royals and leaving the only professional baseball organization he’s ever known brought him to tears Tuesday night in the tunnel behind the visiting clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field.

In the final hours of the trade deadline, the Royals completed a trade that sent Gallagher to the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder Brent Rooker.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Gallagher said he’d gone into the clubhouse to say goodbye to teammate Whit Merrifield after learning that Merrifield had been traded. Then Royals manager Mike Matheny pulled him aside.

“I’m neighbors with some of these guys in the offseason,” Gallagher said. “You know, it is what it is. I wish these guys nothing but the best, a lot of good friends in there.

“I’m close with a lot of those guys, coaches, front office. But it’s a business. I’m looking forward to this new opportunity. It’s a good thing at the end of the day. Just got to take it and run with it.”

Gallagher, 29, made his major-league debut in August 2017 after having been a second-round draft pick in the 2011 MLB Draft.

In 171 career games, he has slashed .240/.302/.355 with seven home runs. He took over as Salvador Perez’s primary backup at the end of the 2018 season when the Royals traded Drew Butera.

Gallagher consistently graded well as a pitch framer, and he drew rave reviews from the pitching staff for his knowledge and ability to game plan.

Gallagher now joins a Padres catching corps that includes Jorge Alfaro and Austin Nola. Gallagher said he received a phone call from Padres general manager A.J. Preller after the trade.

“They want to win a championship,” Gallagher said. “I’ve been here for a long time. It’s had its ups and downs. It’s my brothers in there, that clubhouse. But at the end of the day, I want to win. So whatever I’ve got to do, I’m looking forward to it for sure.”

Rooker, 27, slashed .272/.385/.605 with 19 home runs, 55 RBIs, 19 doubles and 5 stolen bases in 61 games for Triple-A El Paso. He’ll report to Triple-A Omaha.

“Cam has always had value in this industry,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “Whether it was last deadline, this offseason, this deadline, Cam’s a very, very good receiver. His numbers pan that out. Teams value that quite a bit. So we always knew there was a possibility that we could move Cam. As we were talking about Brent, we were able to provide something our organization needs.”

The Royals believe Rooker’s “big power” as a right-handed hitter fills a need for the Royals with so many of their top young hitters being left-handed, such as MJ Melendez, Vinnie Pasquantino, Nick Pratto and Michael Massey.

Gallagher’s playing time had been limited when both Perez and Melendez were healthy as they dominated the catching duties.

But Gallagher also provided insurance since Melendez often plays the field at another position or serves as designated hitter if not catching. With their only two catchers in the lineup at the same time, it could’ve left the Royals vulnerable if either had to leave the game.

The MLB roster rules requiring 13 position players made it more practical for them to carry three catchers. Picollo said they were still sorting through whether they’d add a catcher to the roster to replace Gallagher. They’d likely announce roster moves Wednesday morning prior to their afternoon game with the Chicago White Sox.