Angels 'In On' All-Star Starting Pitcher in Free Agency: Report

The Angels need help in their starting rotation (again) and are turning to the free agent market (again) for a solution.

Among their latest targets: former National League All-Star Zac Gallen.

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The 30-year-old right-hander has spent his entire career in the Senior Circuit with the Miami Marlins (2019) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2019-25).

Gallen is 66-52 with a 3.58 ERA in 176 career starts, but is coming off the worst of his seven major league seasons.

In 2025, Gallen went 13-15 with a 4.83 ERA in 33 starts. His ERA was a career-high, while his strikeout rate fell to a career-low 8.2 per nine innings.

Nonetheless, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Angels, San Franciso Giants and Detroit Tigers are "among the teams in on Gallen." Feinsand also mentions the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves among the teams "looking at" Gallen in free agency.

Feinsand suggests that Ranger Suárez, Tatsuya Imai and Framber Valdez might price themselves out of some teams' markets in free agency, which could make Gallen "a strong alternative" for those teams to jump into his market as well.

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Whether Gallen represents a solid investment for the Angels — or any team — hinges on whether his 2025 season was the start of a downward trend, or a reversible fluke.

Gallen made the NL All-Star team in 2023, when he went 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA and set career highs in starts (34), innings pitched (210), strikeouts (220) and walks per nine innings (2.0).

That performance followed a breakout 2022 season in which Gallen went 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 31 starts, leading MLB in WHIP (0.913) while allowing only 5.9 hits per nine innings.

But the signs of a decline began to creep in a year ago, as Gallen finished the 2024 season with a 3.65 ERA in 28 starts, missing time with a right hamstring strain that limited him to 148 innings.

Gallen rejected the Diamondbacks' qualifying offer — a one-year, $22 million contract for 2026 — after last season. Any team that signs him will be required to forfeit a 2026 draft pick.

Although never known as a hard thrower, Gallen has seen his average fastball velocity drop from 94.1 mph in 2022 to 93.5 mph last season — in a league where velocity overall is trending up.

Besides outbidding the other teams, the Angels could attract Gallen by the potential of working with new pitching coach Mike Maddux, who brings a track record of succces from his time with the Milwaukee Brewers (2003-08), Texas Rangers (2009-15, 2023-25), Washington Nationals (2016-17), and St. Louis Cardinals (2018-22).

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