Diamondbacks Re Sign Zac Gallen To One Year 22 Million Deal

The Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Zac Gallen have agreed to a one-year contract worth $22.025 million, matching the qualifying offer he declined in November. According to sources, $14 million of the deal is deferred. The agreement, which is pending a physical, brings Gallen back to the only team he has pitched for since being acquired from the Miami Marlins at the 2019 Trade Deadline.

Gallen, who has spent the bulk of his seven-year career in Arizona, made it clear late last season that he hoped to remain with the Diamondbacks. He reportedly turned down multi-year offers from other teams to stay in Arizona, where he has established both his career and his home. After what could have been his final regular-season start, Gallen lingered on the mound and in the clubhouse, expressing how difficult it would be to remove a uniform he has worn with pride for seven seasons.

Zac Gallen Seeks Return To Elite Form After Recent Struggles

At his peak, Gallen emerged as one of the National League’s elite pitchers. He finished among the top five in Cy Young voting in both 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he posted a stellar 2.54 ERA and recorded a 44 1/3-inning scoreless streak spanning more than a month. The following season, he set career highs with 210 innings and 220 strikeouts while anchoring a Diamondbacks rotation that captured the National League pennant. Although Arizona fell to the Texas Rangers in the World Series, Gallen carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Game 5.

The past two seasons have been more challenging. In 2024, a right hamstring strain sidelined him for about a month, and his walk rate climbed noticeably. This past season proved even more difficult, as he posted a career-worst 4.83 ERA, 4.50 FIP, declining strikeout numbers, and allowed 31 home runs.

Despite the struggles, Gallen finished strong. Over his final 11 starts in August and September, he recorded a 3.32 ERA and consistently pitched deep into games. Improved contact metrics during that stretch offered optimism for a rebound.

Originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016, Gallen was traded twice early in his career before finding stability in Arizona. His return on a one-year deal signals both loyalty and belief that his best form can resurface.