3 Potential Trade Destinations for Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen
He is also one of the more fascinating names on the trade market heading toward the August 3 deadline.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic listed Gallen as an under-the-radar trade target to watch.
Gallen re-signed with Arizona in February on a one-year, $22.025 million deal with roughly $14 million deferred, after declining the qualifying offer and failing to land the long-term contract he sought.
That one-year structure makes him a pure rental with zero extension leverage, which Bowden and others note makes him the most logical trade chip on Arizona's board if the Diamondbacks fall out of the race.
Arizona GM Mike Hazen stated in mid-June that he intends to be a buyer, but the Diamondbacks are clinging to a razor-thin Wild Card margin, and a prolonged losing streak could flip that posture quickly.
Here are the three fits that make the most sense.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves have spent 2026 navigating a rotation riddled with injuries, including the loss of Spencer Strider, and their starting pitching depth remains a legit concern even as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies anchor one of the NL's most dangerous offenses.
A package centered on 20-year-old Venezuelan outfielder Luis Guanipa and a near-ready arm in Ethan Bagwell has been floated. It's the kind of return that addresses Arizona's rebuild needs at different developmental stages.
Zac Gallen doing Zac Gallen things tonight 🐍
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 17, 2023
7 IP | 1 ER | 6 H | 0 BB | 7 K pic.twitter.com/OFgIJTvBRp
Even a version of Gallen operating at 85 percent of his career norms would stabilize a Braves rotation that needs a reliable arm for October.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs pursued Gallen in free agency over the winter, with The Athletic's Patrick Mooney reporting they wanted a starter who could start a playoff game.
That interest did not result in a contract, but the organizational desire for rotation help has not gone away, with Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd all eligible for free agency after 2026.
The #DBacks faithful have seen enough. The boos are only getting louder.
— Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) June 21, 2026
Zac Gallen's day ends after 4 innings: 12 hits, 7 runs allowed. It was the worst start of his career - he's never given up 12 hits before.
The #MNTwins have been all over him since the game started. A… pic.twitter.com/qPlxFJNzwE
The Cubs have the prospect depth to construct a package, and a reunion attempt at the deadline would be a natural extension of the offseason interest.
Houston Astros
Houston's rotation has been hit hard by injuries in recent seasons, and the Astros have repeatedly been a team that values reliable, innings-eating veterans.
Gallen's career 3.60 ERA before this season suggests his 2026 struggles are an outlier rather than a true talent decline, and his expected ERA metrics have consistently outpaced his surface numbers.
For a team that needs a stabilizing arm and believes in a change-of-scenery rebound, Gallen is a low-cost, high-upside swing on a player who finished top five in NL Cy Young voting as recently as 2023.
