Starting pitcher Zac Gallen is returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks on a free agent contract, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported on Friday.
The contract is for one year, Gambadoro reports. There are no option years or incentives added on. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the deal is worth $22.05 million with $14 million deferred.
Gambadoro added that two-thirds of the money will be paid out over five years, starting in Year 6.
Zac Gallen will be paid roughly $2.8 million per year for 5 years starting in year 6 of this contract.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) February 14, 2026
MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert first reported that a deal was close.
Arizona extended Gallen the qualifying offer at the start of the offseason, a one-year deal worth $22 million. Gallen declined it, setting the Diamondbacks up to receive draft capital if he were to sign elsewhere.
After he rejected the qualifying offer, another team would have had to forfeit draft picks to sign him.
Gallen had not signed with a team by the time most clubs reported for spring training. On Tuesday, Nightengale reported that his market was heating up with the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Orioles and Padres emerging as teams to watch for his services.
“Zac’s an incredible pitcher,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said on Tuesday, after pitchers and catchers reported. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on. I don’t know why he’s still out there. But if something happens and he walks back into this clubhouse, we would welcome him with open arms.”
The Diamondbacks entered this winter in desperate need to add starting pitching with Gallen hitting the market, having traded Merrill Kelly at the deadline and with ace Corbin Burnes rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Arizona brought back Kelly on a two-year deal, signed right-hander Michael Soroka and hopes to get Burnes back in the middle of the season.
Arizona entered the winter with Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt making up the rotation.
General manager Mike Hazen said on Thursday that the club was still in the market for starting pitching.
Gallen, 30, had made it clear that a return to Arizona was something he was interested in. He stood at his locker in the road clubhouse at Petco Park long after walking off the mound for his final start of the 2025 season with his uniform still on. He did not want to take it off.
This has been a big offseason for Gallen, who got married before signing a lucrative contract. He had fun with previous premature reporting that he was nearing a deal with the Cubs, posting, “The only contract signed this weekend,” on Instagram with a photo of his and his wife’s wedding rings.
Zac Gallen’s Diamondbacks tenure continues
He first joined the organization in 2019, as Arizona traded top prospect Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the Miami Marlins for Gallen ahead of the trade deadline. Since then, Gallen has finished top 10 in the Cy Young race three times, made an All-Star team (and should have made two) and became the third pitcher in franchise history to strike out 1,000 batters. The other two are Randy Johnson and Brandon Webb.
Gallen ranks third in franchise history in innings (971), third in starts (169), fourth in bWAR for pitchers (19.4) and fifth in win probability added (8.7).
“A lot of fond memories here,” Gallen said at the end of his last start. “I know the last two years didn’t go the way we wanted it to. This year didn’t go the way I envisioned for myself. But, every fifth day I put the uniform on, it was an honor, I was proud to put the uniform on.”
Gallen did not set himself up as well as possible in his walk year, as he entered the 2025 season looking like one of the top arms set to hit free agency at the end of the year. Gallen took a slight step back in 2024 from his great runs in 2022-23 (3.04 ERA in 394 innings), but he still managed a solid 3.65 ERA in 148 frames after a very good final month.
His 2025 season went sideways pretty quickly. After a dominant start at Yankee Stadium on April 2, Gallen worked a 6.05 ERA over his next 15 outings, entering July with a 5.75 mark. Home runs and walks were killing him, as his command and control were not up to standard for a pitcher who had thrived off those skills in the past.
Those struggles were on the long list of reasons why the Diamondbacks failed to live up to expectations last year, alongside pitching injuries and defensive issues. It got to the point where the Diamondbacks had to sell at the trade deadline, but they were not able to attract an offer for Gallen the club felt worth trading him.
So, Gallen kept going with the Diamondbacks and turned his season around.
Gallen made 11 starts over the final two months of the year, during which time he delivered eight quality starts with a 3.32 ERA. He finished with 192 innings pitched, the second highest mark of his career.
Durability has been a strength of Gallen’s along with his command, as he is third in MLB over the past four seasons in innings. He ranks second in wins in that span, only trailing Framber Valdez, who also entered free agency this winter.
