The MLB free agency market is finally moving after a wild couple of days, and few star free agents remain available. Cody Bellinger is stuck in a stalemate with the New York Yankees, and who even knows what's happening with Zac Gallen's market?
The latest MLB rumors cover why Gallen's market is not what some might've expected it to be, as well as a huge reported extension offer from the Cincinnati Reds that Elly De La Cruz turned down.
Why Zac Gallen's market is moving at a snail's pace
Sure, he's coming off a down year, but MLB fans assumed that Zac Gallen, a pitcher considered as one of the National League's best just a couple of years ago, would have no issues finding a multiyear deal in free agency. As it turns out, rejecting the qualifying offer is complicating things, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
"One executive, granted anonymity for his candor, said Gallen might suffer from being one of the least attractive free agents among those who rejected qualifying offers. Players in that position, attached to draft-pick compensation, are vulnerable to getting squeezed in the market," Rosenthal wrote.
For a superstar free agent like Kyle Tucker, teams have no problem parting with the additional compensation required to sign a player who rejected a qualifying offer. But for a good but not elite player like Gallen, who's coming off a 4.83 ERA campaign, it's a lot tougher to justify parting with both the money required and the league-imposed penalties. For most teams, it's just a draft pick. For some, though, it's multiple draft picks and international bonus money. (The specific penalty is determined by how much money the team previously spent.)
While Gallen is unlikely to break the bank and might take a little while longer to sign, he has several potential suitors.
New York Mets
The need for a frontline starter is abundantly clear for the New York Mets, especially after they added the major offensive piece they needed in Bo Bichette. Whether Gallen is that caliber of pitcher right now can be debated, and it'd be a hard sell for the Mets to part with two more picks and more international bonus money after doing so for Bichette, but on a short-term, high-AAV deal, they can't be ruled out.
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles have done virtually everything they had to this offseason ... other than add an established ace to lead their rotation. Again, I don't know if Gallen is that guy, but he should, at the very least, take the ball every fifth day and eat important innings for an Orioles staff that, right now, is relying on several injury-prone options in key roles. Gallen will cost a lot less than Framber Valdez, which could be right up Baltimore's alley after paying a ton of money to acquire guys like Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward earlier this winter.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves don't need a starter, but with so much injury risk in their rotation, they'd be wise to add a bit more depth. Gallen as a No. 4 starter would be a luxury, and one that the Braves, even after the big offseason they've had, could seemingly afford.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Gallen might be wise to run it back with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a short-term deal with opt-outs, determined to cash in next offseason after a better year in 2026. With Merrill Kelly as their projected ace right now, the Diamondbacks certainly need starting pitching, and a bounce-back version of Gallen could help them get into the NL Wild Card race.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are another team that might not need a starter on the surface, but with Zack Wheeler likely to miss the beginning of the season due to injury and Ranger Suarez headed to Boston, depth is thin. As of now, Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter are projected to be in this team's Opening Day rotation. Walker has had a rough Phillies tenure, and Painter is a 22-year-old coming off a rough season in the Minors who hasn't thrown a single MLB pitch in his life. Having one of them in their Opening Day rotation is fine, but probably not both. Gallen would ensure that wouldn't happen.
Justifying Elly De La Cruz's controversial Reds extension decision
It was reported on Friday night by C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic ($) that Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz rejected a contract extension offer that would've eclipsed the 10-year, $225 million pact Joey Votto signed with the club back in 2012. It's unclear what the offer to De La Cruz was, but it was certainly substantial, and it was made last spring.
Assuming it wasn't far beyond the $225 million mark, though, De La Cruz was right to turn it down, as crazy as that is to hear. Sure, the decision could backfire, but the context of that decision must be taken into account. De La Cruz was coming off his first full season, a season that saw him hit 25 home runs, steal 67 bases and finish eighth in the NL MVP balloting while playing shortstop every day. At just 23 years of age and with five years of control remaining, why would De La Cruz rush into signing that extension when his value could get much higher if he continues to get better ahead of his prime years? Look at the deal signed by Bobby Witt Jr., the Kansas City Royals' star shortstop, as an example.
Player | Team | Service Time | Extension Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Bobby Witt Jr. | Kansas City Royals | Two Seasons | 11 years, $288.8 million (max of $377.7 million) |
Elly De La Cruz | Cincinnati Reds | 1.5 Seasons | More than 10 years, $225 million |
Obviously, there's a lot we don't know about this De La Cruz offer, but Witt's deal is better on the surface. Witt did have slightly more experience, but an argument can be made that De La Cruz displayed more upside in his first full season than Witt had before signing his extension. It's also worth noting that Witt had been worth a total of 5.2 bWAR in his first two seasons and that De La Cruz was worth 5.2 bWAR in just his first full year.
I don't know if there is a number the Reds could throw De La Cruz's way that'd fit into their small-market budget, especially with Scott Boras, an agent notoriously known for pushing his clients to free agency, representing the star shortstop. But it's going to take a lot more than narrowly beating the Votto deal to pique his interest.
Orioles' Justin Verlander interest is frustrating
In addition to his note on Gallen, Rosenthal reported that the Orioles are among the teams interested in signing Justin Verlander.
"Verlander, who turns 43 next month, is from Virginia. He knows Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias from their time together with the Houston Astros in 2017 and ’18. And the Orioles are still trying to add another starting pitcher, preferably one at or near the top of the rotation, in free agency or trade," Rosenthal wrote.
There's nothing wrong with checking in with free agents, especially ones as accomplished as Verlander, but let's look at the end of what Rosenthal had to say. The Orioles are preferably looking for a starter to pitch at or near the top of their rotation. With that in mind, why are they interested in Verlander?
Sure, he did finish strongly, posting a 2.99 ERA in 14 second-half starts. But he had an ERA approaching 5.00 in the first half, and at 42 years of age, he's not close to the pitcher he once was. Verlander might be a future Hall of Famer, but that doesn't mean he's a frontline starter in 2026.
The Orioles need to be aiming higher. Doing so might be tough after the moves they've made this winter, but acquiring a true frontline starter could get them in the World Series conversation. Settling on Verlander feels like a missed opportunity.
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