Cubs remain connected to former Cy Young candidate looking to re-establish himself

It fell off the radar after the Chicago Cubs added Edward Cabrera via a trade with the Miami Marlins, but there was a point this offseason that it appeared that Zac Gallen was the premier pitching target at the top of the front office's mind.

That social media fiasco — in which it was reported that Gallen and the Cubs had agreed to a deal, before other national reporters refuted those rumors — may have simply been a case of trying to spot a fire where there was no smoke, but those reports didn't simply materialize from thin air. Even if a deal was never particularly close, it's more than likely that the Cubs did indeed have some extended form of negotiations with the right-hander and his camp.

And, wouldn't you know it, the Cubs are once again talking with Gallen in free agency.

This is far from a done deal; when it comes to Gallen, Cubs fans probably shouldn't celebrate the signing until the ink is dry on his contract. But, there is reason to believe that both parties would benefit each other in the 2026 season.

Zac Gallen, Cubs remain intriguing fit even after Edward Cabrera trade

The Cabrera acquisition certainly removed the need for a quality starting pitcher, but in a world where the Los Angeles Dodgers are paying Kyle Tucker $60 million per year, it doesn't hurt to have a surplus of arms.

As a reminder, Gallen was far from his best in 2025, allowing a 4.83 ERA and 4.50 FIP in 192.0 innings with the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, prior to that, he was responsible for a 3.29 ERA and 19.6 bWAR. Notably, he finished inside the top 10 in NL Cy Young voting three times in a four-year span from 2020-23.

His mechanics were out of whack last year and concerns about how his fastball will age as he crosses the dreaded threshold of 30 are valid, but this is a pitcher with a long history of pitching like a frontline starter. Heck, he was the anchor in the Diamondbacks' rotation when they went to the World Series in 2023.

With Cabrera already in tow, the Cubs wouldn't need Gallen to headline the staff; if anything, he'd be a back-end starter behind the likes of Cabrera, Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon. Factor in Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele (when healthy), Colin Rea, and Javier Assad, and the North Siders would be looking at one of the deepest and most talented rotations in the league.

It's hard to know if the two sides will be able to match up on perceived value — Gallen is represented by Scott Boras — or if the one-time All-Star will be willing to accept a role reduction (at least in terms of staff importance). Nevertheless, the longer these rumors persist, the likelier it is that there is indeed some smoke in this forest.