Baseball’s super agent Scott Boras holds an annual media scrum at the general managers meetings during which time he unleashes a wave of puns based on his clients’ names. “Zac Gallen” presented just so many options on Wednesday.
“You really learn after being in these rooms that the available starting pitchers is pint size,” Boras told reporters at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. “So we know a lot of teams are going to be quart-ing Gallen. There’s not an ounce of truth that Gallen couldn’t fill up a rotation. Certainly if you want a pitcher, why not Gallen?”
Puns aside, Boras projected that Gallen should have options this winter after spending the last six-and-a-half seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
What his contract is going to look like has been hard to project from media outlets, considering Gallen is 30 years old, has been durable throughout his career, is a three-time top-10 finisher in Cy Young voting, had his worst season by far in 2025 but turned it around with a strong final two months. He does not rely on velocity to record outs, utilizing command as his super power.
Boras used durability as an argument for Gallen and fellow free agent pitcher Dylan Cease, saying their ability to post outclasses “99% of pitchers.” They rank third and eighth, respectively, in innings pitched over the last four years with Gallen ahead of Cease by 16 frames. Only Logan Webb and Framber Valdez have thrown more than Gallen.
Boras also made the point about finding value in pitchers who perform at the most critical times, highlighting Blake Snell for the Dodger and Max Scherzer for the Blue Jays in the postseason. Gallen’s turnaround last season was key to Arizona fighting for a playoff spot, although his struggles previously contributed to the club falling behind.
Gallen is a logical fit for the Diamondbacks considering starting pitching is the club’s No. 1 concern this offseason. The question is how much are the D-backs going to spend after breaking their franchise record in payroll over the last two offseasons. The expectation is spending is going to come down to a degree, which could complicate a potential reunion with Gallen.
The Diamondbacks extended Gallen the $22.05 million qualifying offer, which he is expected to turn down.
As for Boras’ other pitching clients, the puns kept on coming:
Dylan Cease: Boras said, “Unlike the other Dylan, he is exclusively electric,” referring to Bob Dylan. He also said pitchers who’ve thrown 30-plus starts over the last five years “cease to exist” other than … Cease.
Ranger Suarez: Boras said Suarez’s ability to command four pitches makes him the “zone ranger.”
Tatsuya Imai: The Japanese right-hander will be posted by his NPB club on Wednesday. Boras said watching Imai pitch makes people say, “Oh, my.”
Max Scherzer: What Scherzer did in the playoffs for Toronto was “Maximilian.”
Scott Boras addresses potential lockout’s effect on free agency
There is a growing fear that a lockout in 2027 is inevitable. The collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of 2026, and the idea of implementing a salary cap is going to be a holdup between the owners and players.
Boras said the threat of a stoppage should not impact the free agent market this winter, based on what he’s seen throughout his career.
“Historically, we haven’t seen that because teams always want to be their best,” Boras said. “Bottom line is teams understand they don’t have to pay players when there’s strikes.
“The international footprint that we have now placed on baseball, I think the NFL and NBA wish they had such a following. We’re doing really well. Our media ratings were double that of the NBA championship in the World Series, which says a lot about how we negotiate knowing that we make half of the NBA in media rights. Something says we ought to reconsider our methodology in how we approach it. The product and flow of the game has never been better. As far as what they do to continue that flow, I suggest the parties understand that the real value and rights in this game is about what media rights this league receives.”
On the latest betting scandals that have involved Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase, Boras said players concerned with the integrity of the game. Additionally, they don’t want to be questioned every time a pitch gets away.
“There’s going to be all forms of performance questions given now to pitchers when they throw certain pitches to the back of the screen. We want the players integrity never to be questioned,” he said.
Boras called for an end to certain prop bets, including individual pitches. MLB recently announced it would work with sportsbooks to limit the amount bettors can wage on individual pitches to $200.
