The Orioles have made some serious noise this offseason-and not the kind that fades into the background. After a quiet winter last year led to a 2025 campaign that fell short of expectations, Baltimore came out swinging.
They landed slugger Pete Alonso, traded for Taylor Ward and Shane Baz, and added bullpen reinforcements in Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Helsley. It’s the kind of aggressive front office activity that signals a team ready to contend.
But if there’s one box still unchecked, it’s at the top of the rotation.
Yes, the addition of Baz adds intrigue and upside, but the O’s still haven’t landed that true frontline starter-the kind of arm who can match up with the best in October. Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers have shown flashes, but there’s no clear-cut ace anchoring this staff. Baltimore reportedly took swings at Ranger Suárez and Framber Valdez, but both signed elsewhere-Suárez to Boston on a five-year, $130 million deal, and Valdez to Detroit for $115 million over three years.
With other top arms like Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Tatsuya Imai already off the board, the options are thinning. But there’s one name still standing who could be the missing piece: Zac Gallen.
Gallen’s upside outweighs recent struggles
Let’s get this out of the way-2025 wasn’t Gallen’s year. The former Diamondbacks ace, once a Cy Young finalist, posted a 4.83 ERA, saw his strikeout rate dip to a career-low 8.2 K/9, and gave up more hits and home runs than ever before. It wasn’t the version of Gallen we saw dominating the National League just a couple of seasons ago.
But here’s where things get interesting: the underlying numbers don’t scream total collapse. His batting average against stayed pretty steady, and his BABIP actually dropped.
Exit velocity and hard-hit rate? Also relatively stable.
His velocity didn’t fall off a cliff, either.
So what happened?
Command, plain and simple. Gallen left too many pitches up in the zone-particularly his fastball and knuckle curve.
In his best years, he worked the edges and lived below the zone with his off-speed stuff, generating whiffs and weak contact. In 2025, he started catching too much plate, and hitters made him pay.
The result was a career-high 30.3% fly ball rate and a spike in home runs allowed.
There’s also a bit of a pitch identity issue at play. Gallen leaned on his changeup more than ever last year, and it actually became his most effective pitch.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s a departure from the fastball-cutter foundation that defined his earlier success. If the Orioles’ pitching staff-who’ve helped Bradish, Rogers, and even Zach Eflin refine their arsenals-can help Gallen recalibrate his pitch mix, there’s legitimate reason to believe he can bounce back.
Let’s not forget: from 2022 through 2024, Gallen posted a 3.20 ERA and averaged 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. That’s not just solid-that’s top-of-the-rotation stuff.
The tools are still there. It’s about fine-tuning.
A fit that makes sense now-and later
Gallen is heading into his age-30 season. That’s two years younger than Valdez and significantly younger than other names linked to the Orioles like Chris Bassitt and Justin Verlander.
And while Baltimore is clearly aiming to contend in 2026, this isn’t a one-year window. The core is young, the roster is deep, and the front office has shown a willingness to invest.
Right now, only Eflin is over 30 among the projected starters. Rogers is the only one set to hit free agency after this season.
But there’s a lingering frustration in Baltimore: the rotation has felt like a revolving door. Each offseason brings new patchwork solutions.
Gallen could change that. A multi-year deal would give the Orioles a long-term building block-a stabilizing force to pair with their growing stable of arms.
And unlike some of the other options still on the market, Gallen doesn’t come with a red flag-filled medical history. Lucas Giolito, another rumored target, has two Tommy John surgeries under his belt and missed the start of last season with a hamstring issue. Verlander, for all his greatness, is 43 and has battled injuries in each of the last three years.
Gallen, meanwhile, has been relatively durable. He missed some time in 2024 with a hamstring strain and had an elbow sprain back in 2021, but otherwise, he’s been a reliable workhorse. For a team with more than a few question marks in the rotation’s health department, that kind of dependability matters.
The bottom line
The Orioles have done a lot right this winter. They’ve added power, depth, and bullpen stability. But if they want to take the next step-from playoff hopeful to legitimate World Series contender-they need a pitcher who can go toe-to-toe with the best in the game.
Zac Gallen might not be the sure thing he looked like two years ago, but he’s still the best arm left on the market with the potential to be a game-changer. And with the right tweaks, in the right environment, Baltimore might just be the place where he rediscovers his All-Star form.
If the Orioles want to open a window of sustained contention-not just for 2026, but beyond-Gallen could be the key to unlocking it.