PHOENIX (AP) — Right-hander Zac Gallen has agreed to a $22.025 million, one-year contract to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed Friday night.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a physical.
The 2023 All-Star — who is a client of agent Scott Boras — was hunting for a multi-year contract, but after nothing acceptable materialized, he's coming back to the desert where he's spent the majority of his big league's career.
MLB.com first reported that Gallen and the D-backs were close to a deal. The value of the contract is equal to the qualifying offer that Gallen turned down earlier in the offseason to become a free agent.
Gallen had his worst season in the big leagues in 2025, finishing with a 13-15 record, 4.83 record and an 8.2 strikeout rate per nine innings, which was the lowest of his career. But his velocity was still good and he performed better after the All-Star break with a 3.97 ERA over his final 13 starts.
The 30-year-old was one of the best pitchers in the National League from 2022 to 2024, finishing fifth in the Cy Young voting in 2022 and third in 2023.
He was the ace for the D-backs in 2023 — finishing with a 17-9 record and 3.47 ERA — when they made a surprise run to the World Series before losing in five games to the Texas Rangers.
Gallen was drafted in the third round of the 2016 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals after playing in college at North Carolina. He was traded to the Marlins in 2017 and made his big-league debut with the organization in 2019 before being traded again to the D-backs in a deal that sent Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Miami.
Overall, Gallen has a 66-52 record and 3.58 ERA in seven MLB seasons.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen works against a San Diego Padres batter during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull,File)
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Philadelphia rookie V.J. Edgecombe led Team Vince to victory in the Rising Stars event at NBA All-Star weekend Friday night, scoring 17 points in the semifinal before hitting two free throws to end the final.
San Antonio guard Dylan Harper ended the first semifinal in memorable fashion by scoring the game-winning bucket over Ron Harper Jr., his older brother.
Dylan Harper then scored eight points in the final for Team Melo while teaming up with his Spurs teammate, Stephon Castle, last season’s Rookie of the Year.
Castle made a putback dunk off Jeremiah Fears’ miss to pull Team Melo within one point of victory in the final, but Edgecombe drew a foul from Donovan Clingan and coolly hit both free throws to end it at 25-24. Edgecombe was named the Rising Stars MVP.
The NBA's rookies, sophomores and G League prospects opened the All-Star weekend at the Los Angeles Clippers' Intuit Dome with this four-team tournament of three games played to a set point total.
Dylan Harper called game in the first semifinal with a succession of moves that could have been learned on the driveway at home, bullying Ron Jr. into the paint before hitting a step-back jumper. Dylan stuck out his tongue in gleeful celebration of only his second basket in the semifinal, and their famous father laughed heartily at courtside.
Edgecombe scored nearly half of his team's 41 points — including the last 10 in a row — while winning the second semifinal to set up a showdown between the teams led by NBA greats Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony.
The Rising Stars game wasn't a full showcase of the NBA's top young talent because No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg dropped out of the game due to injury, as did Washington’s Alex Sarr and Memphis’ Cedric Coward.
Edgecombe hit three 3-pointers during his scoring barrage in the first semifinal to win his duel with Charlotte's Kon Knueppel, who scored just four points. The two rookies are the only serious contenders with Flagg for the Rookie of the Year award.
The event got off to a rousing start when Clippers prospect Yanic Konan Niederhäuser dunked a lob from Ron Harper Jr. for the first basket of the night. The Swiss big man who was drafted last summer by the All-Star weekend hosts, got raucous cheers from the fans in The Wall, an extra-steep supporters’ section installed at Intuit Dome by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
Niederhäuser led his losing team with 11 points in the first semifinal.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Team Austin frontcourt Yanic Konan Niederhauser (14) of the LA Clippers shoots as Team Melo frontcourt Donovan Clingan (23) of the Portland Trail Blazers defends during an NBA basketball's Rising Stars event Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Team Melo guard Dylan Harper (2) of the San Antonio Spurs, right, shoots as Team Austin guard Ron Harper Jr. (13) of the Boston Celtics defends during an NBA basketball's Rising Stars event Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Team Austin guard Alijah Martin (55) of the Toronto Raptors, right, shoots as Team Melo frontcourt Donovan Clingan (23) of the Portland Trail Blazers defends during an NBA basketball's Rising Stars event Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
