Chicago Cubs and Zac Gallen: The cost and the necessary next move

The Chicago Cubs finished their 2025 season with the clear understanding that they needed starting pitching. Despite a spirited effort in the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers, they fell in five games. And a big part of that fall had to do with a hobbled and inconsistent rotation.

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Coming into that series, the Cubs were down to two reliable starters– Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon (and Boyd, himself, kicked off the series with a rocky start). Shota Imanaga had fallen out of manager Craig Counsell’s circle of trust. Rookie phenom Cade Horton never even made it to the playoffs as a rib fracture late in the regular season put him on the shelf.

So, in advance of 2026, the Cubs declared a focus on fortifying their starting five, plus restocking a depleted bullpen. They did both.

They signed four veteran free agent relievers for the bullpen rebuild. Then, they pulled the trigger on the much-talked about trade with the Miami Marlins for emerging star Edward Cabrera.

Adding the 27-year-old Cabrera to the rotation is a big deal. Another big deal is the mid-season return of ace Justin Steele, who had elbow surgery last April.

But are Cabrera and a half-season of Steele enough to ensure the kind of starting pitching depth needed for a deep playoff run?

Maybe not.

Zac Gallen rumors won’t die

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Rumors keep flying about ongoing talks with free agent Zac Gallen and every indication is that there could be fire where the smoke is. Recently, MLB insider Bruce Levine doubled down on the fact that a Cubs-Gallen deal is not so far-fetched.

The 30-year-old Gallen is coming off a down year with the Arizona Diamondbacks, posting an ugly 4.83 ERA after early season struggles. But the righty is an established workhorse, with an average of 31.5 starts and 183.5 innings logged over the last four seasons.

On paper, he looks to be exactly what a Cubs rotation full of durability questions needs.

But what would it take for the Cubs to get Gallen and what kind of roster maneuvers would his acquisition require?

Spotrac is estimating Gallen to go for a 4-year, $74.8 million contract. MLB Trade Rumors nearly mirrors that estimation with a 4-year, $80 million projection.

There’s some indication, though, that Gallen might go for a shorter-term deal in hopes that a rebound 2026 season could lead to a more lucrative re-entry into the free agent market.

That’s probably where the Cubs come in.

How much would Gallen cost the Cubs?

If the market doesn’t suddenly shift with regards to Gallen, the Cubs could conceivably get him on a two or three-year contract, with a player opt-out at the end of each contract year, somewhere in the $20 million-per-season range.

The Cubs would suffer a draft penalty for signing Gallen, who turned down Arizona’s $22 million qualifying offer. But that is less of a concern than how and where to fit Gallen into the rotation.

The addition of Gallen would give the Cubs six starting pitchers prior to opening day, competing for five slots, with Steele on deck to return and quality swing men Colin Rea and Javier Assad waiting in the wings.

An incoming Gallen = A big trade ahead?

A surplus of starting pitching is a good problem to have, of course, but it’s a bit of a problem nonetheless. There have to be innings for their pitchers to build a working rhythm. If injuries don’t come into play, the Cubs would have at least seven starters vying for innings.

Could the acquisition of Gallen be the precursor to another significant trade for Chicago this offseason?

Imanaga is working on a $22 million qualifying offer for 2026 and has seemingly, to an extent, fallen out of favor with coaching and the front office. Taillon is due $18 million for this last year of his contract. Both Imanaga and Taillon will likely be leaving Chicago after 2026 and could conceivably be moved ahead of the finish of their contract. Assad, as the team’s second swing man, could also be moved, perhaps packaged with another player for a more significant haul. Gallen would probably be seen as an upgrade over Imanaga, Taillon, or Assad.

Gallen, meanwhile, seems just fine with staying with the Diamondbacks, apparently amenable to a contract keeping him in a city where he has strong roots.

“It’s been humbling,” Gallen recently told reporters at the WM Phoenix Open, referring to the outpouring of ‘stay here’ talk from locals. “That’s kind of been the constant thing the last couple of weeks. People have been like, ‘Hey, we’d really love for you to come back.’ I think people understand what Phoenix means to me…My wife is from here, I’m calling this home base now, so for us to be here would be awesome.”

In December, Gallen’s rotation-mate Merrill Kelly signed a 2-year, $40 million contract to stay in Arizona.

With or without Gallen, though, the Cubs are hoping to come into 2026 with significantly more depth and security in their starting rotation.

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