The Seattle Mariners have been the best in the league at developing pitchers and acquiring starting pitchers that come into Seattle and quickly become Cy Young candidates.

*PREDICTION*

Their pitching staff has done a stellar job over the past decade, which has enabled the Mariners to compete without incurring significant financial expenditures. The biggest issue with the Mariners up until 2025 was the lack of offense to match the pitching.

Now the Mariners have some of the best hitters in the game between Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, and both are young stars who are tied to the Mariners for a while.

The Mariners must continue to make smart moves with their rotation, as some players are starting to get older, and having a plan for the future is what will keep the Mariners in contention for a World Series.

That is why the Seattle Mariners will sign Zac Gallen.

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Zac Gallen To Sign with Mariners

Zac Gallen is a seven-year veteran who came up with the Miami Marlins and was traded in his rookie year to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Gallen has been a Diamondback since and has been stellar for them. Finishing in Cy Young voting three separate times, and has experience pitching in the World Series. The 30-year-old starting pitcher is one of the few out there with that resume and a lot of years left to pitch.

Gallen’s 2025 season was statistically the worst of his career, but he still ended up with a positive wins above replacement at 1.1 and pitched 192 innings.

Putting Gallen eighth in innings pitched over his 33 starts. That is a feat of its own in today’s game, where pitchers rarely get to go through the lineup a third time.

The Mariners have had one of the best rotations over the years, and a big reason for that has been that their pitchers have been dependable and consistent.

The group of Luis Castillo, Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby combined for 670 innings pitched. The Mariners can add other pitchers like Gallen as their fifth, and this would allow their bullpen to stay fresh all year long and give them a battle-tested pitcher in the playoffs.

The Mariners’ big four will not be in Seattle forever, as each one continues to get better and will eventually enter free agency; they will not be able to retain all of them.

Adding Gallen allows the Mariners depth and the ability to go all-in this upcoming season, and prepare for the future at the same time.

What is Zac Gallen’s Value?

Zac Gallen is entering free agency for the first time in his career and will be looking for a payday that will change his life for the better.

There are not many starting pitchers out there with his success and experience still in their prime, which could cause him to cost more than expected. He won’t turn 31 until August and will be wanting to sign a long-term contract if possible.

Spotrac.com has Gallen’s market value listed at $74.8 million over four years. Putting him at an annual average salary of $18.7 million.

With contenders like the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves already expressing interest in Gallen, expect the final price tag to be closer to $20 million a year.

The Mariners are currently 17th in payroll for 2026, so they clearly have the capital to make this deal happen. They are also preparing to sign Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez to major deals in the near future.

The Mariners should look at what the Dodgers have done over the past few seasons. Pay your stars, be aggressive in free agency, and win games. That will lead to more wins as well as a chance to earn more revenue down the road to be able to afford it all.

The Mariners have a chance to represent the AL in the 2026 World Series, but to get there, they must sign Zac Gallen.