The Chicago Cubs have some holes to fill in their 2026 roster to be competitive next season. The team has talent, but they are expected to be aggressive in the free agent market for at least one impactful player. The starting pitching market has already seen Dylan Cease get signed, so landing a top-tier pitcher ahead of the Winter Meetings could happen.
Let’s take a deeper dive into who they have been linked to and what it means for the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs have been linked to Zac Gallen
Syndication: Arizona Republic
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws against the Cleveland Guardians during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 24, 2025. © Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Chicago Cubs are in a position to add free agent starter Zac Gallen as the two sides are talking. Patrick Mooney of The Athletic is reporting that the team is “targeting Zac Gallen as an option” for their starting rotation. This would make sense as the 30-year-old pitcher was third in the 2023 NL Cy Young voting and has done well throughout his career. He is coming off a rough 2025 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but there was also a lot wrong with the team’s performance as a whole that could’ve altered some stats.
Gallen’s potential contract with the Cubs is going to be intriguing as he declined the qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks this offseason already. We have seen in the past that the international money and draft compensation with players on qualifying offers has not been a deterrent to the front office. Chicago also has three-fifths of their rotation on walk years this upcoming season while Justin Steele is returning from elbow surgery. Locking down Gallen would make the Chicago Cubs better down the line.
Gallen brings major upside and could be a top-end rotation piece immediately for the Cubs. He is averaging more than 183 innings over the previous four seasons, so he has not gotten hurt and takes the ball every fifth day. With the seemingly mutual interest there, the Chicago Cubs should be aggressive in landing one of the top starters in the free agency pool.
Chicago Cubs should trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for this player
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