While pitchers and catchers report in roughly two weeks, there are still plenty of arms unsigned in MLB free agency.
Framber Valdez leads the pack, and while he’s unquestionably the best remaining free agent on the board, his market is uncertain. There are other options out there, from Lucas Giolito to Zack Littell, but perhaps the next best option after Valdez is Zac Gallen — the former Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander who was a frontline starter for the franchise for much of the last seven years.
Of course, Gallen is coming off the worst season of his career in 2025, with a 4.83 ERA and a 175/66 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Still, he’s been one of the most consistent pitchers in the National League – from 2022-2024, he posted a 2.70 ERA while averaging 180 innings a year – and has thrown at least 28 starts in each of the last four seasons.
He's still just 30 years old, and if he can find his old form, he's a true game-changer. So who might be in on Gallen? Here’s five teams that make sense.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Let’s start with the incumbent Diamondbacks. They held onto Gallen at the trade deadline, and by extending him the qualifying offer in November, they positioned themselves to either 1) re-sign him or 2) get draft pick compensation should he depart in free agency.
They’ve already brought back Merrill Kelly, and I wouldn’t rule out Gallen staying. He loves Arizona. The team clearly values Gallen. I don’t know if they end up making the most lucrative offer, but if the offers are close, would that familiarity keep him in Phoenix? It’s possible.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are looking for another starting pitcher and have been connected to Valdez, though I don’t believe anything is close there.
Gallen would be a strong alternative. He’s a leader, only 30 years old, and would be a quality option potentially on a short-term contract that would allow him to retest the market soon. Adding Gallen in an offseason that’s already netted Pete Alonso, Shane Baz, Taylor Ward and others … would be pretty, pretty good for Mike Elias.
Chicago Cubs
The fit between Gallen and the Cubs is obvious. They have prioritized upgrading the pitching staff this winter, adding Edward Cabrera to the rotation and four different names to the bullpen. And it could be time to add another starter in Gallen.
Adding Gallen to their current group would give Craig Counsell the best group of pitchers he’s had since he was in Milwaukee. The franchise is finally acting like a big-market team, and if they added Gallen, they’d assert themselves as the favorite in the National League Central.
Los Angeles Angels
I expect the Angels to be in on another starting pitcher. Littell feels like a quality option, but Gallen is someone they should absolutely poke around on if his price falls enough. Ultimately, though, I believe Gallen will be too rich for the Angels and they pivot elsewhere.
Still, another starting pitcher absolutely feels realistic for the Angels.
San Diego Padres
Here’s a fun speculative option. There aren’t many teams outside of the Diamondbacks who know Gallen better than the Padres. A.J. Preller would love to add another starter. Could they get creative in structure here, similar to what they did with Nick Pivetta last offseason?
I’ll call it a long shot, and I expect the Padres to be much more serious on other free-agent starters. But there isn’t an executive more or aggressive than Preller, and the rotation remains a need. Why not Gallen?