Zac Gallen landing spots: 3 ideal teams to rope in Diamondbacks All-Star

Arizona's Zac Gallen is at a crossroads. After signing a one-year $13.5 million deal to avoid arbitration for the 2025 season, the right-handed pitcher finished a workhorse campaign. It had flashes of ace form and stretches of real inconsistency, and he’s back to being a trade/market question mark with free agency looming.

Teams that think can limit hard contact and sharpen sequencing will circle fast. Gallen still owns big-league innings, swing-and-miss stuff and playoff experience, making him a high-upside rental or a one-year extension candidate for contenders.

"I've worn this uniform for seven years now," Gallen said on Saturday, via Sports Illustrated. "I think of myself as a D-back, really. If it's the last time, it would be a tough pill to swallow."

Gallen admitted after Arizona's final game that a move could be as much about timing and team strategy as it is about him.

He logged 192 innings with 175 strikeouts this season, a reminder that even in a down year, his value as a durable starter remains significant. With teams always searching for rotation depth, especially those with playoff aspirations, here are three ideal landing spots for the Diamondbacks ace.

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#3 - Chicago Cubs

Chicago closed the 2025 regular season with an offense capable of pushing deep into October, but rotation depth remained its biggest question mark.

The Cubs repeatedly looked for innings and a dependable veteran starter to stabilize the 2-4 slots. Bringing in Zac Gallen gives them a proven fifth/second starter who can eat innings, reduce bullpen strain and slide into a playoff rotation once healthy. Multiple outlets pitched the Cubs as a reasonable suitor who could buy low on Gallen as a fresh start.

#2 - Houston Astros

The Houston Astros' 2025 season was marred by injury and a late-season wobble. The front office has shown willingness to add veteran arms to protect the window. While the development staff has a strong track record of tweaking pitchers back to form.

Houston’s analytic and coaching environment can be especially attractive for a pitcher struggling with hard contact and sequencing, exactly where Gallen’s 2025 profile pointed downward. Recent reporting on the Astros' injury load and offseason evaluation adds to the logic that they’ll chase starting-pitch upgrades.

#1 - New York Yankees

No franchise faces more immediate pressure to win in 2026 than the Yankees. Their rotation depth collapsed with Gerrit Cole sidelined, and question marks surrounding Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt.

Zac Gallen offers exactly what New York needs: a durable, strike-throwing veteran who thrives in big moments and can instantly stabilize a postseason rotation.

Known for their willingness to make headline-grabbing moves, the Yankees have the financial muscle to land Gallen and the incentive to explore a long-term extension. They could potentially pair him with Cole to form one of the most formidable duos in baseball.