Zac Gallen bets on himself, returns to D-backs on one-year deal

SCOTTSDALE, (KYMA, KECY) - Zac Gallen had options this offseason. Multiyear offers. Long-term security. A chance to start fresh somewhere new.

Instead, he bet on himself.

The 30-year-old right-hander is officially back with the Arizona Diamondbacks after agreeing to a creative one-year deal worth the qualifying offer of $22.05 million — though only $8 million will be paid out this season, with the rest deferred over five years starting later. The structure made the deal more manageable for Arizona while giving Gallen another shot at free agency next winter.

“We did have multiyear offers out there, which was nice from the security standpoint,” Gallen said. “I’ve always kind of bet on myself.

“I think I felt like I owed it to myself, owed to my family. I even owed it to the organization, the fans here, to come back, have a good year and prove my worth again and get that little added motivation. So that’s where my thought was, and see what happens again next year.”

The move comes after a rocky 2025 season — a contract year that didn’t go according to plan. After posting a stellar 3.34 ERA from 2020 to 2024, Gallen struggled to a 4.83 ERA overall last season, undone by a difficult first four months. He rebounded late, finishing with a strong 3.32 ERA over his final 11 starts, but the full body of work cooled what once looked like a massive payday.

Rather than express frustration, Gallen took an honest approach.

“I had a coach at a young age that would say great players are even better self-evaluators,” he said. “Going into this free agency, I could look myself in the mirror.”

The Diamondbacks had already re-signed Merrill Kelly earlier in the winter — news that broke while both pitchers were attending Alek Thomas’ wedding in Mexico. Kelly admitted the two joked that only one of them might return. Instead, Arizona kept both.

“I look at it this way in a positive,” Gallen said. “We joked that it might only be one of us, and now we get both of us. So I’ll take it as a positive that way. … It gives me, I wouldn’t say it’s a motivational thing. It’s more of a recentering.”

For Arizona, the deal adds needed stability to a rotation that had question marks entering the offseason. For Gallen, it’s familiarity pitching coach Brian Kaplan, catcher Gabriel Moreno, and a clubhouse he knows well.

He’ll essentially get a redo on his walk year.

And this time, he’s betting that the best version of himself shows up for all six months.