Zac Gallen to Phillies? MLB writer pitches unexpected blockbuster

As the Philadelphia Phillies look to heat up even further with the weather, there's the potential for a splashy summer trade.

This is a high-stakes season for the Phillies. Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are free agents this winter, and essentially the entire core is comprised of players in their thirties. If Aaron Nola's pre-injury season taught the Phillies anything, it's that reliable players can quickly become unreliable.

Coincidentally, Nola's rib injury has created something of a void in the Philadelphia rotation, as there's no timetable on the righty's return. The Phillies are rolling with rookie Mick Abel for now, but they have the bandwidth to go after a veteran at the deadline.

Mark Powell of FanSided has an idea: Go after Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen, a former All-Star who is having a dreadful season and desperately needs to reestablish his value ahead of his own free agency.

"Gallen does have some history in Philly, besides being born there. The Diamondbacks defeated the Phillies in the 2023 NLCS in seven games, with Gallen pitching two of those," Powell wrote.

"For the Phillies, embracing Gallen could come at a low price, as he's set to enter free agency following this season and has an elevated ERA that could scare some contenders away. Philadelphia knows first-hand what they'd be getting in Gallen, though. He tore their heart out once. Why let him do it again?"

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The 30-year-old Gallen has a 5.75 ERA--the worst of any qualified pitcher (one inning pitcher per game their team has played). He's also let up 12 earned runs combined over his last two starts--which came against the two worst teams in baseball (Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox).

In short, it hasn't been pretty. Yet this is still the third-place Cy Young Award finisher from two years ago. He's walking too many batters and getting hit hard, but the talent is still in there somewhere.

It's hard to say at this point whether or not Gallen will be traded, but the Phillies should at least be interested in his services, especially if the price tag is dropping.

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