Zac Gallen's mission for 2026? 'Stick it up everybody's (expletive)'

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen isn’t bitter or angry, but he has a wad of receipts stashed away for safekeeping.

You see, he was a free agent last winter, armed with an impressive resume.

He finished in the top-10 in Cy Young voting three times, with two top-five finishes in the last four years. He has the second-most victories in MLB since 2022. He’s 30 years old. He has never had arm problems. And he has averaged 31 starts the past four years.

And yet ... the big offer never came.

Instead of receiving that nice long-term deal, Gallen wound up signing back with the Diamondbacks on a one-year, $22.025 million contract paying him just $6 million this year, with the rest deferred.

Well, nothing personal, but when Gallen takes the mound these days, he has one mission in mind:

“Stick it up everybody’s (expletive)," Gallen told USA TODAY Sports.

Yep, pretty simple.

“That’s my thought," Gallen said, elaborating a bit further. “It’s like be healthy. Have a good year. And just stick it up everybody’s (expletive)."

Gallen, coming off his worst season, 13-15 with a 4.83 ERA, watched his free-agent value plummet when the Diamondbacks gave him the $21.05 million qualifying offer. It automatically attached a draft pick as a penalty for whoever signed him.

Gallen knew the risk of not accepting the qualifying offer, but he was hoping his 6-3 record and 3.32 ERA in August and September would help erase the memory of his 7-12 record and 5.60 ERA the first four months. Besides, didn’t the Toronto Blue Jays sign Dylan Cease to a six-year, $210 contract after going just 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA for the San Diego Padres?

“We knew it was a gamble turning down the qualifying offer," Gallen said, “but when Cease signed, I thought this could be a good market for a lot of guys. There were a few signings afterwards, and And then the market just stopped. The holidays happened, and it was a like a death march."

Michael King signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the Boston Red Sox while Merrill Kelly signed a two-year deal for $40 million before the holidays, but then it wasn’t until late January that starter Ranger Suarez signed a five-year, $130 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. Two weeks later, Framber Valdez signed a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. There wasn’t another multi-year deal for a starter the entire winter.

“There’s always that one guy who is the odd man out," Gallen said. “That was me. I think people were like, 'OK, are we signing the guy who had the worst 22 starts of his career in the first half, or the guy who had the other 150 starts?’ Ultimately, I was the odd man out."

Scott Boras, Gallen’s agent, had plenty of talks with teams, everyone from the New York Mets to the San Diego Padres to the Chicago Cubs to the Baltimore Orioles. The highest offer was for $60 million guaranteed, perhaps $80 million including incentives and options. The reality was there was not a single offer that came close to convincing Gallen to sign.

With spring training approaching and the Diamondbacks needing an answer, Gallen decided he might as well return to Arizona where he’s familiar with the coaching staff and organization, where he has a home with his wife, a Phoenix native.

“The silliest thing would have been to drag this out through spring training," Gallen said, “and be in a position like some guys have been in the past and struggle. We’re making enough money this year. In the grand scheme, you have to be ready to pitch when the season starts as opposed to holding out for a few extra dollars."

Now, here he is Gallen, 1-1, 3.14 ERA, set to pitch Friday afternoon at a place he thought could be his new home at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.

“The funny thing was that the story that we kept getting from the Cubs was that they were interested," Gallen said, “but that they didn’t have any money. We came to learn that they had money, but it was going to [Alex] Bregman. So they weren’t going to spend on pitching, but they were going to trade for pitching."

The Cubs indeed went out and acquired Miami Marlins starter Edward Cabrera, who has been brilliant with a 3-0 record 3.06 ERA, but Gallen surely could be helping those same injury-riddled rotations now, equipped with a new improved arsenal that has scouts gushing about his improvement.

Zac Gallen's 2026 adjustments

Gallen, armed with one of the nastiest sliders in the business, is generating a 36% whiff rate, compared to 16% a year ago. Hitters are chasing 33% of his pitches out of the strikezone compared to 24% last year. His average fastball improved to 94.3-mph, occasionally touching 96-mph, and he has 67% groundball rate this year compared to just 38% a year ago.

What a difference it has made answering that stranger’s text message in late September. It was from a former minor-league pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization telling Gallen that he can help fix him.

Mike Adams, co-owner of the Baseball Performance Center in South New Jersey, who taught himself how to throw 98 mph, sent the text right before Gallen’s final start of the season. He noticed some flaws, and offered to correct them, turning him back into a Cy Young candidate again.

"He just said, 'Hey, I have some things that I think that can help,'" Gallen said. “I never met him, but I knew who he was. We have some mutual friends and there are guys I know that have worked with him, and had nothing but good things to say. So I said, 'Well, let’s give it a shot. What’s the worst thing that can happen?'"

Gallen stopped to see his family in New Jersey after the season, and in mid-October, took the 45-minute drive from his mom’s house to Adams’ facility. They made mechanical changes to his delivery. And promised to keep in touch through zoom calls and FaceTime.

“I think I had just built up so many bad habits over the last year or so," Gallen said, “that it probably took me a good three weeks for us to have noticeable changes. I could feel the difference from a delivery standpoint, and how he wanted me to feel the pitches.

Gallen set up his camera twice a week when he threw during the winter with Adams watching and studying the video. It was as if Gallen was re-training his brain and body. In his last bullpen session before he re-signed with the Diamondbacks, it clicked.

“We might be onto something here," Gallen said. “The velo has been higher than it has been the last two years this early in the season, the slider, which has befuddled me for my entire career is taking shape, and I’m getting good results. That, sandwiched with being a little bit more diligent about recovery, workout plan, all those types of things, things are working."

Gallen, who allowed just one baserunner in three innings pitching in Mexico City against the San Diego Padres, before he was hit in the shoulder by a line drive in his last start, is certainly moving closer and closer to being one of the league’s elite pitchers once again. He has a 2.19 ERA since opening day. He has walked only one batter in his last three starts. He is yielding a 0.78 ERA in the first four innings of games. And he has given up just two homers compared to a career-high 31 homers a year ago.

“He’s looking a lot better," Adams said. “He doesn’t have that inconsistency with his delivery like a year ago. He has that command with his pitches. And that gyro slider has been the biggest development for him. It’s really one of best pitches in baseball with his depth and movement.

“He has more velocity, better weapons, and you can see the difference."

Zac Gallen contract coming this winter?

The way Gallen looks at it, everything happens for a reason. He’s back at home, surrounded by his familiar teammates, a coaching staff that he trusts and respects and a fanbase that loves him.

But when free agency hits next time around in November and there's no draft pick attached to him, there will be no need to wait around all winter for the phone to ring. Teams will certainly be subtly reminded they blew their chance to sign him before a bidding war emerges.

“I let teams know, 'Hey, this is your opportunity to get a guy like this,'" Boras said. “I told them, “This guy has got unbelievable value to you. Look at the innings he pitches. Look how well he does against really good lineups.’

“I call him, 'Scraper,’ because this guy is a skyscraper because he does well against those East Coast teams with the skyscrapers. He’s got that New Jersey blood in him. Nothing fazes him."

Gallen indeed is at his best pitching against those East Coast markets. He is 3-0 with a 0.00 against the New York Yankees; 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA against the New York Mets; 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA against the Philadelphia Phillies; and 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA against the Washington Nationals.

The dude who went to North Carolina, and wears Michael Jordan’s number, is hardly scared of the bright lights.

“I’m glad I tested free agency," Gallen said, “but I’m really glad I’m back. I felt like I owed it to the guys in here, and the fans. I didn’t really want to leave with a sour taste in my mouth.

“I want to prove that last year was a fluke, and go out there and pitch the way I know I can."

And in the meantime, well, stick it where the sun don’t shine.

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