Zac Gallen market reality puts Orioles at a clear disadvantage

The Baltimore Orioles are still in the market for another starting pitcher even after missing out on Framber Valdez. Zac Gallen is the top starter remaining in free agency, but it is starting to feel like he will head back to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

If Gallen does reunite with Arizona, he will have taken a bit of a circuitous route. He declined Arizona'a qualifying offer with the hope that he could secure a long-term deal, but clearly his market did not materialize the way he had envisioned.

Orioles may be out of luck as Zac Gallen may return to D-Backs

Gallen may have to settle for a short-term deal like Valdez did, although it seems unlikely that he will command the nearly $40 million per season that Valdez got from the Detroit Tigers.

Recently, a return to Arizona has seemed much more likely for Gallen. He has spoken about what Phoenix means to him and how his wife is from the area, so it would probably make the most sense for both Gallen and Arizona to work something out before spring training begins in a few weeks.

The former All-Star is coming off a rough campaign in 2025. Gallen had a tough first half but was able to turn things around in the last few months of the season. He ended the year with a 4.83 ERA in 33 starts and 192 innings pitched.

He just turned 30, so a lot of teams were probably scared off by the fact that a pitcher now on the wrong side of 30 is coming off a career-worst season.

The O's could still benefit from a deal with Gallen, though. It is no secret why they are still seen as a fit. The rotation is in a tenuous spot as there are a number of pitchers who are solid and have shown promise when they are healthy, like Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish, but there are too many question marks with the group overall to be all that confident heading into 2026.

Even if Gallen is not the ace he once was, he is a guy who can be counted on to last throughout a season, as he has made 28 starts or more every season since 2022.

Still, the momentum has seemed to shift in favor of Arizona, so the Orioles would probably have to blow Gallen away with an offer at the eleventh hour, which just does not seem all that likely at this point.