MLB Free Agency: 6 Teams in Pursuit of Zac Gallen

Zac Gallen throws a pitch for the Arizona Diamondback

After a dreadful first half of the season, longtime Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen settled down in the final two months, to help somewhat re-establish himself as a higher-end starting pitcher heading into his free agency.

He wound up with a 4.83 ERA, but still compiled 192 innings. It seemed like somewhat of an outlier season, with a career-high 31 homers surrendered—nearly twice as many as he normally gives up.

Although he won't get the massive $200 million contract he might have expected had he had another ace-like season (and probably will come in more than $100M south of that), he's still a desired arm on the market, and according to Mark Feinsand of mlb.com, there are six teams in pursuit of the 30-year-old:

Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Giants
Detroit Tigers
Baltimore Orioles
Chicago Cubs
Atlanta Braves

Angels could be looking for another bounce-back candidate in Gallen

The Angels have already added two intriguing arms to their rotation this offseason, in Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah. Both are former top prospects, and in Manoah's case, a former All-Star. If they can both return from injuries and recapture their peak form, the Angels' rotation is already looking good for 2026. Given this propensity to take a chance on pitchers looking to bounce-back, it would make sense for them to be in on Gallen, as well.

The Giants are looking for a #3, to slot in after Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, and Gallen would fit that mould perfectly at this point in his career.

Gallen seems like an ideal target for the Orioles and their frugal financial history

As for the Orioles, they're looking for anyone who's shown any kind of inclination to be a top-flight starting pitcher. That, plus their unwillingness to swim in the deep end of the free agency pool, which is where the top starters Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez and Japanese import Tatsuya Imai will be swimming, Gallen is a perfect target for them.

The Cubs are also looking for a mid-to-upper rotation arm to go with Cade Horton and the returning Justin Steele, while the Braves would like to add even more depth to a rotation with some high-end options.

Gallen has three top-10 Cy Young finishes on his resume, including a Finalist nod in 2023. The year before, he led the majors in WHIP at 0.91 and in fewest hits allowed, at 5.9 per nine innings.