Zac Gallen Eyes Return to Arizona Diamondbacks

As spring training nears, free agent starting pitcher Zac Gallen has voiced strong interest in rejoining the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team where he spent most of his major league career. The 30-year-old right-hander, who declined a $22.025 million qualifying offer from Arizona last fall, told reporters at the WM Phoenix Open on Tuesday that returning to the desert would feel like coming home.

Gallen, acquired by the Diamondbacks in a 2019 trade with the Miami Marlins, emerged as their ace over the next several seasons. He earned an All-Star selection in 2023 and finished in the top five of National League Cy Young voting that year and in 2022. However, his 2025 season was uneven. In 33 starts, he went 13-15 with a 4.83 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 175 strikeouts over a career-high 192 innings. He struggled early, posting a 5.60 ERA through his first 22 outings amid declining strikeout and walk rates and a career-worst 23 home runs allowed. Gallen rebounded in the second half, delivering a 3.32 ERA over his final 11 starts, though underlying metrics like his 4.22 SIERA suggested the improvement was modest, aided by better luck on balls in play and fewer homers.