Right-hander Zac Gallen had the worst season of his seven-year career last year and remains a free agent.
Still, he is one of the starters available, alongside Framber Valdez and Chris Bassitt. A return to the Arizona Diamondbacks may be the most likely outcome for Gallen. However, there are at least four other clubs with interest in the 2023 All-Star.
"The Diamondbacks would love to get him back and are considered the front-runners to re-sign him (and wouldn’t have to give up a draft pick to do it)," The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Friday. "However, several teams have shown interest, including the Orioles, Braves, Giants, Tigers, and others."
Gallen's performance in 2025
In 33 starts with the Diamondbacks, Gallen, 30, had a career high 4.83 ERA. His ground ball rate dropped from 46.2% in 2024 to 44.4% last season. Not a huge decrease, but Gallen has also not shown the same strikeout prowess that helped him finish third in the NL Cy Young voting three seasons ago.
The Orioles are one of the clubs rumored to have interest in Valdez, so they could pivot to Gallen if they miss out on the former Houston Astros ace.
Bowden projects that Gallen could sign a short-term deal to regain his value as a top-of-the-rotation starter, before re-entering the market in an offseason or two.
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