The Diamondbacks are bringing back right-hander Zac Gallen on a one-year deal, reuniting with their erstwhile ace after a long winter in which he dangled on the free-agent market.
Gallen and the club are in agreement on a one-year deal worth $22.025 million, pending a physical, a source said. That is the exact amount of the qualifying offer Gallen declined in November.
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Wary of how their experience with a late-signing Jordan Montgomery worked out two years ago, the Diamondbacks told Gallen’s camp it was imposing a deadline to get a deal done, sources said. The team said it would not consider signing him beyond this weekend, a source said.
The sides did not appear to be close to a deal as recently as 24 hours ago, but a source suggested that the looming deadline spurred the agreement.
Gallen has spent almost the entirety of his major league career with the Diamondbacks.
Gallen turned in an up-and-down 2025 season, and though he finished the year with a strong final two months, it seems those inconsistencies might have been enough to deter clubs on the free-agent market, especially considering a team would have had to part with a draft pick to sign him.
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That is not quite the case with the Diamondbacks, though by signing Gallen they are abandoning the notion of recouping a pick were he to have landed elsewhere.
Gallen, 30, owns a 3.58 ERA in 176 career starts, 169 of which have come with the Diamondbacks.
Gallen has said on several occasions over the years that he would love to remain in Arizona, where he lives year-round. He developed an affinity for the organization and the state in part because of the club’s World Series run in 2023.
The signing gives the Diamondbacks additional starter depth and seemingly will push someone into a bullpen role, assuming the club sticks with a five-man rotation.
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As it stands, the Diamondbacks’ rotation options consist of Gallen and fellow right-handers Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt and Michael Soroka and lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.
The club signed Soroka in December with the expectation that he would be a starter, but he appears to be the most likely pitcher to be the odd man out.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks, Zac Gallen reuniting on 1-year deal, per sources