Getty
Padres received bad news regarding Zac Gallen
Entering the 2026 season, the San Diego Padres have a need in their starting rotation. Earlier in free agency, the team lost starter Dylan Cease to the Blue Jays. Cease started 65 games for the Padres since being traded over from Chicago prior to the 2024 season. Additionally, Yu Darvish is set to miss the 2026 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, and he is also said to be considering retirement.
Currently, the Padres’ rotation includes Michael King, who re-signed with the team in free agency, Nick Pivetta, JP Sears, Joe Musgrove, who missed the 2025 season, and Randy Vásquez.
Sears struggled after being traded to the Padres from the Athletics, and the team is placing significant faith in Musgrove returning to his previous form following injury. Due to the question marks around the Padres rotation, they have been linked with free agent pitcher Zac Gallen.
Bad News for the San Diego Padres on Zac Gallen
A report by Bob Nightengale led people to believe that the Padres signing All-Star free agent Zac Gallen was a real possibility as he listed San Diego as one of the teams showing most interest, after saying talks were “heating up.” However, a new report by The San Diego Union Tribune’s Kevin Acee seems to dispute Nightengale’s report.
Acee wrote, “The Padres will almost certainly continue their streak of acquiring a starting pitcher during spring training that they believe can make a significant contribution to their rotation. However, it might be a while, and it might not be quite the caliber of pitcher they have brought on in recent years. Certainly, unless reports suggesting his imminent signing prove misguided, free agent Zac Gallen will not be that pitcher.”
Acee added that the rotation has four spots locked down, as Sears may not make the starting rotation to start the season. While it seems unlikely Gallen signs with the Padres at this moment, Acee did not completely dismiss the possibility, though circumstances would have to change. He said, “He would likely need to go unsigned for a while, meaning his price drops significantly, to end up with the Padres.”
Zac Gallen’s Free Agency
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Gallen remains unsigned for some time. Arizona Sport talk show host John Gambadoro said on Gallen’s free agency, “The Zac Gallen situation is one of the most interesting I have seen in quite some time. He entered free agency with his representation believing he could get a 5-year deal for big money. He remains unsigned.
All indications are he wants to be with a team by spring training. If he has truly run out of options could Arizona come in with a Jordan Montgomery type of deal – 2 years with the second being a player option? Probably not at a straight $20 million, would likely have to be for less or with a lot deferred. Arizona is already at or near the top of their payroll for 2026, but Gallen is well liked by the Diamondbacks so we will see.”
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
More Heavy on Padres
Loading more stories