Zac Gallen Is Still a Great Fit for the Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been trying to find their way back to the World Series for the past two seasons and have yet to be able to make it to even the postseason since their spectacular run in 2023. But someone who has been a rock for the franchise and a great positive has been Zac Gallen.

The Diamondbacks’ 2025 campaign saw them finish with an 80-82 record, which put them three games back from a Wild Card spot. While it wasn’t a horrible season, it showed room for improvement, and that all starts with the pitching staff.

They started this by bringing back Merrill Kelly on a deal for two years and $40 million, which is a great price for the D-backs, who were desperately looking for someone else to help fill out their rotation for next year.

While this move does really help, their rotation still seems to be missing its top-of-the-line ace.

So, a reunion with Gallen might be the best thing for this franchise and its fans, returning the same one-two punch to the top of their rotation that they rode to the World Series in 2023.

We just saw Michael King return to the Padres, the only team that could sign him without forfeiting any draft capital (since they extended him the qualifying offer). The same is true for Gallen and the Diamondbacks.

King had a very good 2025 campaign, pitching to a 3.44 ERA in 15 appearances. While his numbers were better than Gallen’s, Gallen did pitch the entire season. This should be seen as a positive for many teams, including the Diamondbacks, who have dealt with numerous pitcher injuries in the recent past.

Even though he had a down year, Gallen remains someone of tremendous value, having pitched to a borderline Cy Young level in the past. He might also be willing to take a slight discount if he knows he gets to stay in Arizona on a longer-term contract.

Gallen was the star of this rotation for several seasons. Going into last year, it was expected he would form a formidable one-two punch with new ace Corbin Burnes.

Gallen, however, did not live up to those expectations and struggled to a 4.83 ERA in 33 starts. It was a sub-par season compared to his previous ones, as that was the highest ERA of his career. His previous career-high was 4.30 ERA.

If Gallen were to be brought back, his deal would definitely be similar to that of King’s, most likely a three-year deal with opt-outs to allow him to enter free agency again if he can recapture the top-level form we have seen from him in the past.

What Will Arizona’s 2026 Rotation Look Like?

Merrill Kelly

In 22 starts before the trade deadline in 2025, Kelly had a 3.22 ERA, racking up nine wins and a bWAR of 3.0. With the Rangers, his ERA jumped up to 4.23 in 10 starts.

Kelly had a career 3.74 ERA in his time with the D-backs, racking up a total of 62 wins and 162 starts.

His return is definitely a great signing for this team, as he will be able to seamlessly come back into the rotation and find his footing again.

It also looks great for the organization as a whole because they only lost him for half a season last year and picked up three pitching prospects in exchange. LHP Kohl Drake, LHP Mitch Bratt, and RHP David Hagaman all have the potential to help make an impact on this organization in the future.

Ryne Nelson

Nelson has become one of the best pitchers in Arizona. Having come out of the bullpen and started games in all of his seasons, he is a great option for this team next season and can hopefully build on a great 2025 campaign, in which he pitched a 3.39 ERA.

Brandon Pfaadt

Pfaadt is another pitcher that the D-backs are hoping will take massive strides in his game next season. He broke onto the scene as a pitcher who was able to help them in their run to the World Series in 2023.

After the World Series run, expectations were sky high for Pfaadt. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite live up to those lofty expectations in 2024, posting a 4.71 ERA in 32 starts.

This past season wasn’t much better for him, as his ERA climbed to 5.25, although he was able to start another 33 games. The durability has been a plus for Pfaadt, but the performance has to be better to warrant continued opportunities.

What the D-backs are hoping for is for Pfaadt to put it all together to help solidify this pitching staff. He has, in the past, shown great flashes of success, but they are hoping for a full season of it for the 2026 campaign.

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Eduardo Rodriguez

Another pitcher the D-backs are hoping to get more out of is Rodriguez, who has struggled mightily through the first two years of his four-year, $80 million deal.

After missing all but 10 starts in 2024, Rodriguez entered 2025 with hopes of a real bounce back. But, it ended up being more of the same. In 10 starts at the end of 2024, Rodriguez pitched to a 5.04 ERA, which looks almost identical to the 5.02 ERA he posted over 29 starts in 2025.

Michael Soroka

The 2026 rotation has already started to take shape with the recent signing of Soroka to a one-year deal worth $7.5 million. This signing is definitely one to keep an eye on, as he is an addition with the chance to make a real impact in 2026.

Corbin Burnes

The D-backs invested in their pitching staff last offseason, bringing in the former Cy Young winner on a six-year contract worth $210 million, hoping he would be the missing piece to help this team get back into the playoffs and make another run toward the World Series.

At first, the move looked great, as Burnes had a 2.66 ERA in his first 11 starts. Then, unfortunately, he suffered a UCL tear that would require Tommy John surgery, which would put him out for the rest of the 2025 season and most likely most of this coming season as well.

Burnes could return late in the year, but even so, this was a huge blow for the D-backs and will cause major issues for them going into 2026 if they don’t look to add more pitching before the offseason is over.

Who Else Could the Diamondbacks Add?

There are still plenty of free agents for the Diamondbacks to go after to help bolster their rotation if Gallen isn’t who they want. This is definitely still necessary, given that Burnes will be out until July at the absolute earliest.

One pitcher who might be flying under the radar but could definitely be an option is Lucas Giolito. Giolito is coming off a stellar year for the Red Sox, in which he finished with 10 wins and a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts.

After missing all of 2024 with a partially torn UCL, Giolito had a great season in the middle of the rotation for the Red Sox.

That is something the D-backs desperately need now that they are looking to retool their rotation. They need someone who can come in and produce quality starts and help provide stability.

The Diamondbacks might also choose to promote from within and call up a top pitching prospect. Some names that could be options include Drake, whom they got in the Kelly trade with the Rangers.

They could also call up Cristian Mena, who has been knocking at the door of the major league roster for a while, and it might finally be his time to make the team full-time.

Final Thoughts

If the Diamondbacks choose to re-sign Zac Gallen, it definitely would be for something similar to what we just saw King take home (three years, $75 million with player options after the ’26 and ’27 seasons). A great contract for both the player and the organization.

Bringing back Gallen would help the team, giving them a great frontline piece for the next couple of seasons as they look to get back to the World Series.

Without Gallen, the pitching staff would definitely be missing something and would be lacking some depth going into the season. But the biggest loss would be to the fans, who have grown to love Gallen for everything he helped the team accomplish in his time in Arizona.