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By Zach Pressnell
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Arizona Diamondbacks have been mixed up in a lot of offseason rumors surrounding a potential trade of Ketel Marte. While these rumors have slowed down for the most part, other rumors are bound to pick up.
Starting pitcher Zac Gallen was still a free agent as of Wednesday, and the Diamondbacks will need to pay up if they want to bring back their ace. At this point, it seems as though the righty is going to sign with a new team in the coming weeks.
Nick Selbe and Will Laws of Sports Illustrated predicted Gallen would bolt from Arizona and sign a deal with the Atlanta Braves in free agency.
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"Gallen has made 126 starts over the past four seasons and has logged the third-most innings in baseball during that span, so durability is clearly among his strongest traits," Laws and Selbe wrote. "Whether or not all that mileage has begun to wear him down is another issue.
"He posted career worsts in ERA (4.58), FIP (4.50) and strikeout rate (21.5%) in 2025, a swift decline after back-to-back top-10 Cy Young Award finishes in ‘22 and ‘23. Given his track record, it wouldn’t be a shock if Gallen opted for a short-term deal to regain some of his lost value in search of a bigger payday this time next year."
Gallen is a much better pitcher than his 2025 statistics would indicate. He'd been an ace in the league for a few years prior to a big step back last season.
The Braves need to add an additional starting pitcher to their rotation, and they have the money to make a splash. Going after Gallen would make plenty of sense as they're building out their roster. It's difficult to project how much the righty will sign for, but the Braves should have the money to make a deal happen if they're willing to pay it.
More MLB: Blue Jays Veteran Pitcher Predicted To Sign 1-Year, $16M Deal With Tigers
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