The Chicago Cubs have had a great offseason by bringing in third baseman Alex Bregman and keeping a majority of the core they had last season during a playoff run. The team is not done trying to improve. The Cubs clearly need starting pitching, and could get a good one by signing this former Arizona Diamondbacks starter.

Zac Gallen is one of the hottest free agents left on the market. According to Spotrac's market value AAV, Gallen is third among active free agents at around $18.7 million per season. Many teams can afford the star pitcher, and the Cubs are trying to sneak in one last great signing ahead of spring training.

According to Jon Heyman, the Cubs are one of three teams that continue to express serious interest in Gallen. Gallen does have a qualifying offer with the Diamondbacks. So, a return there is still a strong possibility.

“The Cubs have been linked to him for months. That is another potential possibility.”

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The Cubs' current rotation is good, but there is no team out there outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers that wouldn't bring in Gallen for the right price. Shota Imanaga is the ace of the staff. Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon both had great 2025 seasons. Justin Steele is going to return from his injury at some point, and the team has a bright young star in Cade Horton. Horton was the 2025 NL ROY runner-up. The Cubs recently traded for Edward Cabrera, who will certainly be a part of this rotation. The Cubs have a ton of depth at the moment.

If Chicago does bring in Gallen, this would likely be their starting rotation.

  1. Imanaga
  2. Gallen
  3. Horton
  4. Cabrera
  5. Taillon/Boyd

Colin Rea, Javier Assad, and Steele could very likely make spot starts if needed.