The New York Mets swung a deal to land Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers. While the Arizona Diamondbacks weren’t part of that trade, it has a long-term downwind impact that hurts them.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Peralta trade likely takes the Mets out of the running for Zac Gallen. That really hurts his market, as without a big spender to drive up the price, the likelihood of him getting a contract of at least $50 million has nosedived.
Gallen having to settle for a lesser deal hurts the Diamondbacks in the draft, and how much they can spend. After an up-and-down season, Arizona extended its Opening Day starter the $22.05 million qualifying offer. Gallen declined the offer, which might have significantly limited the number of potential suitors due to draft pick penalties.
Based on the 2025 slot values for the two picks, that’s a $2.2 million difference. Not only does the 56-pick drop hurt them financially, but it also means they’re likely getting a lesser prospect. It’s more likely they’d land a prospect that is in the 20-30 range in the organization rather than the Top 10 in that scenario.
Should the Diamondbacks Target Zac Gallen?
With Gallen almost guaranteed to take a short-term deal, the Diamondbacks could swoop in. But by doing so, they’re forfeiting the No. 75 pick in next year’s draft for possibly one year of Gallen.
That was a topic that came up on Burns & Gambo of Arizona Sports on January 21. Co-host Dave Burns broached the possibility of signing Gallen to a two-year deal with an opt-out after 2026.
“The benefits are insane if you’re the Diamondbacks,” said Burns. “You basically buy yourself an insurance policy when it comes to Corbin Burnes. If he comes back and he pitches well, you can always trade Gallen at the deadline if you want to a contending team.”
John Gambadoro replied that the Diamondbacks could take one of their starters out of the rotation. He mentioned Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Michael Soroka possibly losing a spot. Given the amount of money the team paid Soroka ($7.5 million), he would be the likely candidate to move to the bullpen as a long reliever.
The main issue is being able to afford Gallen. Cots Contracts projects the Diamondbacks’ Competitive Balance Tax payroll for 2026 at $209.2 million. Assuming Gallen is likely to take something similar to the median crowd-sourced projection on FanGraphs’ free agent tracker, that’s another $22 million.
Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick’s comments on Burns & Gambo in September 2025 cast doubt on that idea. Kendrick expect their 2026 CBT payroll will be lower than the $220 million figure they had before the trade deadline. It’s unclear if he’d be willing to make an exception to bring Gallen back.
What’s Left of Zac Gallen’s Market?
It’s already a bad sign that a team like the Mets, which carried the second-largest payroll in 2025, didn’t pursue Gallen. Their owner, Steve Cohen, gives David Stearns free rein to spend what is necessary to make them a contender. Instead of signing Gallen, they gave up two quality prospects to land Peralta.
Nightengale notes that the Baltimore Orioles could land either Gallen or Valdez at a lower price than envisioned. The Orioles already surrendered their third-highest pick (second round) to sign first baseman Pete Alonso. So that would mean the draft pick penalty isn’t as problematic for them, as it would be a third round choice.
Another possibility is that more teams could be interested in a short-term deal. They could take a flyer on a pitcher who finished in the Top 5 of Cy Young voting in 2022 and 2023. He was also the No. 1 starter during the Diamondbacks’ playoff run. Teams desperate enough for pitching that have $20-24 million to spend could roll the dice that 2025 was a fluke.
Freddy Peralta Trade Creates New Problem for the Diamondbacks