Mets and Yankees line up for Zac Gallen as Scott Boras touts his value

During the 2023 season, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen was nearly untouchable. He put together a 17-9 record with a 3.47 ERA across 210 innings of work. 

The following year, he did much of the same. Across 28 starts, he held together a 14-6 record with a 3.65 ERA, but largely failed to deliver the same results this past season. 

Gallen struggled, which you can see by his 13-15 record and a 4.83 ERA. Now, the crafty righty is a free agent, and it is widely expected that he will reject the Diamondbacks' qualifying offer. 

Mets and Yankees line up for Zac Gallen as Scott Boras touts his value

The starting pitcher open market is quite deep this winter. There are plenty of frontline starters, international talent, and arms coming off disappointing seasons, looking for a change in scenery. 

Framber Valdez will likely attract most of the attention from teams this winter, but with his price tag, he may not be the best move for teams. Scott Boras, Gallen's agent, believes Gallen has what it takes to be a dependable starter for a team looking to make an upgrade, via USA Today's Bob Nightengale. 

"You really learn after being in these rooms that the availability of starting pitchers is pint size. So we know that a lot of teams are going to be 14-gallon, and there's no amount of truth to the idea that Gallen couldn't fill up a rotation."

Nightengale believes that Gallen will be strongly pursued by both the New York Yankees and New York Mets, who are looking to bolster their starting rotations for the 2026 season. 

The Mets are still searching for a dependable ace. They did have Nolan McLean step up, but there is no telling how he will look next season. The Yankees, on the other hand, will be without both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to start the season and are in need of a frontline starter to hold things down until they get back.

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