Three Months After Turning Down A Qualifying Offer, Zac Gallen Signs With The Same Team For The Same Amount Of Money

Zac Gallen has spent most of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. After his last start, he took in the scene around him, leaving his uniform on well after the final pitch. As the offseason began, it looked like he might wind up in a new city next year.

When the right-handed pitcher turned down a qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks in November, he entered free agency. Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, other teams expressed interest and even offered multi-year deals, but Gallen opted to stay in Arizona after all.

The qualifying offer Gallen passed on was worth $22.025 million for one season. His shiny new deal as a free agent? The exact same amount and duration: one year, $22.025 million. As part of the contract, $14 million will be deferred.

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It's a rare example of a player betting on themselves and ending up in the same place they started. Gallen, who's 30 years old, could have signed elsewhere and gotten more money and job security. But he believes in the Diamondbacks' roster and wanted to remain with the city and franchise where he's had his best success.

Gallen has been with the Diamondbacks since 2019, when the team acquired him from the Miami Marlins. His best seasons came in 2022 and 2023; he ended the season in the top five in National League Cy Young voting, and the 2023 season is Gallen's lone All-Star appearance to date. Though he posted a losing record in 2025, he seemed to regain his form over the final two months of the season.

The Diamondbacks reached the World Series in 2023, losing to the Texas Rangers in five games. It was their first World Series trip since Luis Gonzalez hit a championship-winning single in 2001. The team improved its record by five games in 2024, though the Diamondbacks lost a three-way tie with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves and missed the playoffs.

Last year was even more disappointing. Several Arizona players missed significant time with injuries, and three separate players required Tommy John's surgery. The Diamondbacks finished with a losing record and ended up fourth in the NL West.

With a healthier lineup, the Diamondbacks will look to go on another deep postseason run. They're counting on Gallen to help make it happen.