Zac Gallen's Cy Young potential meets Angels' rotation gap. A surprising short-term deal could bring a proven arm to Anaheim.
In an updated article from Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report in which he predicts the landing spot and contract of MLB’s top remaining free agents, the Los Angeles Angels have swooped in as the updated landing spot for one of free agency's top remaining arms.
Though he was originally predicted to stay put with the Arizona Diamondbacks, right-handed starter Zac Gallen is now seen as a good fit to land with the Angels. The switch comes a couple of weeks after the Diamondbacks chose to spend $40 million on bringing back starter Merrill Kelly, whom they traded at last year’s deadline.
With the decision to bring Kelly back to Arizona, it’s unlikely the Diamondbacks would also be able to retain Gallen’s arm. It’s good news for teams still looking for rotational help, such as the Angels.
Despite bringing in plenty of pitchers already this offseason, the Angels still need a guy to round out the top of the rotation. Unlikely to compete for the best of the best arm talents still available in Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez, Gallen is a much more realistic and cheaper option for the Halos.
In his seven seasons with the Diamondbacks, Gallen has finished in the top-10 for the Cy Young award three times and was named an All-Star once in 2023. Last season, Gallen threw 192 innings of 4.83 ERA baseball. Though his ERA was below league average last season, his 4.28 xERA paints a better picture for teams interested in the 30-year-old.
Still, 2025 was the worst season of Gallen’s career thus far, finishing with a WAR of just 1.1. What he does provide, however, is a reliable arm that’ll eat a big chunk of innings every year. That’s something that the Angels could use in their rotation, as only three pitchers logged over 150 innings in 2025.
The predicted contract for Gallen by Kelly is for two years, $45 million, with a player option for 2027. With their large sum of available money to spend this offseason, the Halos could afford to take the risk on a short-term deal in hopes of landing a top-end rotational guy. The money is there – it’s up to the front office to decide whether they want to pursue more pitching help or choose to round out their lineup instead.