Former Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen officially turned down the $22 million Qualifying Offer extended to him this past week — a move that came as no surprise. But a reunion could still be on the table, however unlikely.
Gallen has expressed his desire to remain in Arizona in the past. On Friday, Gallen spoke to members of the media at a Shamrock Boys & Girls Club event in Phoenix about his free agency and a potential D-backs return.
Former Arizona Diamondback Zac Gallen on Reunion
Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Gallen made sure to reiterate his past words, saying he still feels he would prefer to finish his career with the D-backs.
“Like I said after [my final start] in San Diego is that I would love to be back here, I’d love to be here for the rest of my career. But I think what sometimes gets lost in translation is that it’s not necessarily always up to the player,” Gallen said.
“If the opportunity is there and it’s something that we deem that is the right fit for us, myself as a player and me and my soon-to-be wife as a family, then yeah, we’ll explore that. But right now we’re just going through the process and we’ll see what happens.”
Gallen spoke about what might appeal to him in a free agent destination, but remained relatively noncommittal.
“Just somewhere that I enjoy playing, a good team, good culture, obviously a good place to pitch is nice. Those are the things. And then we have some other things that we’ve kept to ourselves personally that are big for us. I think those are the biggest things, really,” Gallen said.
Video via Arizona Sports 98.7’s Alex Weiner on Twitter/X:
Gallen certainly did not have the ace-caliber season he expected to in 2025, posting a 4.83 ERA despite maintaining his health throughout the year.
He did, however, begin to pitch much more like his old self in the final two months of the year. That stretch clearly helped the D-backs make the easy decision to extend him the Qualifying Offer.
It’s no surprise that Gallen — represented by the infamous Scott Boras — would turn down that offer to test free agency, but there remains a possibility he and Arizona could work out a reunion deal, depending on the price.
For now, it seems unlikely Arizona would be willing to offer a large multi-year deal to Gallen, though he is open to a reunion, and owner Ken Kendrick did not rule that possibility out.
But with a reduced payroll expected to hit, the price point would have to be mutually beneficial, which could be a potential hard sticking point.
Still, Gallen is an all-time Diamondback, and is clearly invested in both the organization and the Phoenix community. A return may end up being the best option for both parties.
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