- Rating: 5.88
- 2025 Stats: 13-15, 4.83 ERA, 89 ERA+, 1.26 WHIP, 1.1 bWAR
- Date of Birth: August 3rd, 1995
- 2025 Earnings: $13.5 million
- 2026 Status: Free Agent
Zac Gallen went into this season looking for a rebound. It was a contract year, and 2024 had been one to forget for the righty, so he was obviously hoping for a strong performance to send himself into free agency and a nine figure contract. That quite simply was not to be, however. It was a season filled with underperformance, a trade deadline to forget, and then some redemption at the end of the year.
It all started with him getting the ball for Opening Day. That in and of itself was a debacle. The
(frankly easy) decision was between him and the newly acquired Corbin Burnes. Lovullo, Hazen, et al hemmed and hawed about it until a week before the season was to start and named Gallen to take the ball, in the name of supporting “their guy” more than the logical choice for #1 starter. It was a whole thing, but ultimately that meant that Corbin Burnes became the most expensive fifth starter in MLB history. That’s more a story for a different review, but suffice it to say it was an unnecessarily dramatic start to both of their seasons.
That Opening Day start did nothing to smooth over anything, either. He only managed to go four innings against the Cubs, giving up four runs on four hits and four walks, with the team losing 10-6. He bounced back with a stellar start against the Yankees in New York, but the rest of the month of April dashed any hopes that it was anything more than a mirage. The ERA climbed to 5.57 by the end of the month, largely thanks to starts against the O’s and Cubs again where he gave up five and six runs respectively.
May started better, with back to back one run starts against the Mets twice. It was noticeable to everyone that the free agent was pitching well against the New York teams, but I’m sure it was a coincidence. The Diamondbacks don’t play New York teams often though, and over his next four starts in the month of May he gave up 19 earned runs in 21.1 innings. His ERA was three runs worse than his FIP over that time period, but frankly that was 5.67 and not really substantially better.
June and July were more of the same, and on July 27th, his final start before the trade deadline, his ERA was 5.75 compared to a 5.23 WHIP. He was bad, and there was no underlying hope. Of course, what happened next is well known and well documented. The Diamondbacks traded everyone that was on expiring contract… except the man who at one time was considered the ace of the staff. Hazen said all the right things about not getting a deal they liked, or felt reflected the value he represents, but I don’t think they fooled anyone. There just weren’t suitors for Gallen.
Questions flew following that. One of the main ones was should the Diamondbacks offer him a Qualifying Offer at the end of the season. When James wrote Gallen’s 2024 review, it was a foregone conclusion. At this point in the season, the question became could the Diamondbacks risk him accepting it just for another draft pick? Jim asked the question in depth with a definitive pro/con list, but no one knew the answer.
After the deadline had passed. Hazen spoke to the team and recounted it to Nick Piecoro later
“It’s frustrating for all of us, but I just said the next two months really matter for a lot of people in this room, for the team, to play good baseball. Even if you may feel a certain way about where you are, this stuff matters to your teammates.”
That resonated with all the team, as evidenced by the mad dash they made back to contention by the end of the season, but either that, the reality he woke up and saw, or something seemed to really resonate with Gallen. He pitched like an entirely different player after the deadline. There are a lot of different metrics that I could use to show this, but perhaps the most stark is that before the deadline, he gave up more than three runs fourteen times. Post deadline? Just twice. His ERA in the second half? 3.32. His WHIP? 1.077. If he maintained that for a full season it would be the second lowest in his career, behind only his top-five Cy Young season.
It was an entirely different pitcher out there, and through his efforts and the rebounds of several other team mates, the Diamondbacks of course clawed their way back into Wild Card contention. Of course, it wasn’t enough and perhaps fittingly, Gallen threw a 4.1 inning, five run stinker to eliminate the Diamondbacks from post season contention. That is how his season ended, and more than likely his Diamondback career.
2026 Outlook
After the season ended, the Diamondbacks did choose to extend a QO after all, and Gallen did decline it, opting to test free agency and see if the second half had created more of a market for him. So far, news on that front has been quiet, but personally, I believe he’ll find something, even if its not as lucrative as it would have been after the 2023 season.
But then again, who knows. Maybe nothing materializes and he signs a one year bounce back deal with us like so many other Boras Clients have done with their former teams. Only time will tell.
