MLB Trade Rumors: 1 Big Trade Candidate That Received 'Zero Interest' At The Deadline

Usually, pitchers with three seasons as a Cy Young candidate and an All-Star bid on their resume are top targets when put up for sale at the trade deadline. Not so for Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen. The 30-year-old was having a dreadful contract season through the end of the July trade period, with a 5.60 ERA.

And according to insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today, that made him completely unmovable.

The Arizona Diamondbacks received virtually zero interest in starter Zac Gallen at the trade deadline, with contenders believing he simply couldn’t help them get to the postseason.

But a funny thing happened once the calendar turned to August and Gallen was locked in to complete his season in the desert. He's turned into a completely new pitcher. Or rather, the one that the D-Backs had been so used to the previous five years.

Since the trade deadline passed, Gallen is 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA.

How much that will re-establish his top-end value as a starting pitcher on the free agent market this winter remains to be seen. If he continues this run through his final five starts of the year, he could be back in business—and back in the money.

Gallen now owns a 4.94 ERA. His first time under the 5.00 mark since early May (and even then, it was fleeting).

He was a top 3 Finalist for the Cy Young in 2023, his All-Star season, with a 3.47 ERA, and top 5 the year before that, with a 2.54 ERA and an NL-best 0.91 WHIP.