$13.5M Diamondbacks ace opens up about fiancée's role in impending free agency decision

Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen will become a hot commodity on the free agent market at the end of the season. The starting pitcher, who will earn a $13.5 million salary this season, has been doing well in the past few seasons and should generate a healthy interest for teams looking for a premier arm.

However, Gallen will not be the lone decision maker involved in deciding his next destination. His fiancée, Elise Loughran, will be equally involved in the process as they decide the future next offseason.

During an interview with Chris Rose, Gallen revealed that before the 2025 MLB season began, he and his fiancée sat down to map out what a future outside of Arizona might look like.

"I had a conversation with my fiancée before the season started, and I asked her to put a list together of some things that she selfishly wanted, things she wanted for us, and then things she didn’t want," Gallen said (23:46 onwards).

"That way, we could kind of compare notes about what that looks like for us going forward, as opposed to getting caught off guard — like, okay, X team has an offer, but they don’t have the things we’re necessarily looking for."

The Diamondbacks pitcher was honest about how his family and personal happiness would weigh heavily in his choice.

"I think to answer your question, it would probably be like a 70/30," Gallen added. "I kind of know what I’m looking for — for myself, for my family, and just the environment.

"For me, it’s a lot about how to get better and stay successful. The last thing I want is for people to look back at that contract — or for me to look back — and think, ‘That was a bad contract.’ So that kind of thinking will probably motivate a lot of the decisions."

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Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen off to a rough start in 2025-26

Zac Gallen will be one of the most coveted arms in the 2025-26 free agent class if he doesn't sign an extension with the Diamondbacks, but he is not helping his value on the market with his start to the season.

In his latest start against the St. Louis Cardinals, he was having a nice day until the sixth inning, when he gave up four runs, resulting in the team losing 4-3 in the end.

This compounded his season ERA to 5.25, going 3-6 with a WHIP of 1.36 and 63 strikeouts.

Gallen has to pick up the slack as the Diamondbacks are in a tough division, and they can't afford their premier ace not to be at his best.