Padres Looking to Add All-Star Zac Gallen to Rotation In 2026

Somehow there are still multiple quality arms left on the market and general manager A.J. Preller is making it clear that he wants to bring one to San Diego. Gallen represents the first option.

Sep 15, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Chase Field. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Padres are looking into signing All-Star pitcher Zac Gallen to bolster their rotation heading into spring training.

Gallen is an arm the Padres know well. Spending most of his career with division rival Arizona, he has posted a 5-4 record with a 3.49 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 15 career appearances against San Diego.

In a Padres uniform, he would slot in as a reliable innings-eater to help replace Dylan Cease, who was lost to the Blue Jays early in the offseason. The price tag could fall within San Diego’s range, as Gallen is coming off a down year in Arizona.

Teams still seriously considering starting pitchers with 2 weeks to go: Orioles, Tigers, D-Backs, Padres, Braves, Yankees, Cubs, Angels, Giants, Rays, A’s, White Sox and maybe Jays, Marlins, Phillies

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 28, 2026

In 2025, Gallen recorded a 4.83 ERA and a 4.50 FIP - both a career worst. His regression stemmed from a drop in strikeout execution and an increase in home runs allowed. He finished the season with a career-low 21.5% strikeout rate and a career-high 1.45 homers allowed per nine innings.

Even so, Gallen makes sense as a buy-low option. Cease was one of only two Padres pitchers to reach the 150-inning mark last season, finishing second on the staff with 168 innings. That’s a significant workload to replace, and Gallen brings strong durability.

Over the past four seasons, Gallen has thrown 734 innings, averaging 184 per year. At minimum, the workhorse would provide much-needed reliability at the back end of the rotation.

The best-case scenario would involve pitching coach Ruben Niebla helping Gallen rediscover his previous form. From 2022 to 2024, Gallen ranked among the league’s elite, posting a 3.20 ERA and 3.22 FIP across 542 innings while compiling 12.2 WAR. He also recorded back-to-back top-five Cy Young finishes and earned an All-Star selection in 2023.

A key to that rebound would be reestablishing his curveball. In 2024, it graded as one of baseball’s best pitches with a plus-15 run value on Statcast. Last season, however, it dropped to minus-4. The fastball is holding at a plus-4 value and 93.5 mph of velocity, but it’s nothing if he can’t use it to set up the hook. Look for that to be a priority for Gallen and the pitching staff should he come to San Diego. 

Adding Gallen would give the Padres a six-man rotation, stabilizing a back end filled with question marks. Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove would headline the staff, followed by Gallen, Randy Vásquez and J.P. Sears.

Musgrove has already indicated he’ll skip starts to manage his workload while returning from Tommy John surgery, and King enters 2026 with health concerns of his own. Having Gallen as an insurance option would help the Padres withstand injuries or struggles from Sears and Vásquez, both of whom finished last season with xERAs above 5.00.