Cubs Have Reportedly ‘Continued Talks About Zac Gallen’ Joining Team

Remember when Bob Nightengale reported that the Cubs were on the verge of signing former Diamondbacks righty Zac Gallen, then it turned out Gallen was on his honeymoon and no deal was close? That was a fun few minutes. Bruce Levine teased during Saturday’s episode of Inside the Clubhouse on 670 The Score that the Cubs might not be done dealing with Scott Boras even after signing Alex Bregman, and GM Carter Hawkins told reporters that the luxury tax is “less of a consideration” with the Cubs poised to be serious contenders.

That could lead them to seek even more pitching depth, though how they would manage to do that without pushing someone out of the mix is an open question. Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Shōta Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Edward Cabrera are the presumptive starters pending injuries, with Colin Rea and Javier Assad providing support. Then they’ll get Justin Steele back at some point in the first half, which could result in a six-man rotation or some kind of modified structure.

With that in mind, it doesn’t seem like signing another big leaguer is in the cards. As Levine is reporting, however, Gallen may still be in play.

“The Cubs and Scott Boras have continued talks about Zac Gallen becoming a Chicago Cub,” Levine said. “Those talks are ongoing. My reporting is the possibility is that it’ll be a shorter-term type contract.”

Hmmm. I find this a bit odd on at least two fronts, the first of which is that it could mean parting with one of their current starters. As laid out above, the Cubs already have five solid starters with another on his way back. The other issue I have is that a short-term deal does little to address their need to bolster the rotation beyond this season. Taillon and Imanaga have just one year of control, with Boyd holding a mutual option for 2027 that typically serves as a save-the-date for a buyout.

Signing the 30-year-old Gallen, who is coming off the worst season of his career, could be a lateral move at best from a performance standpoint that also costs the Cubs more than the pitcher he’d ostensibly be replacing. The predictions have Gallen getting a four-year deal worth $19-20 million average annual value, which is at least $2 million more than Taillon ($17M) and around $5 million more than Boyd ($14.5M). But if we’re talking about a one- or two-year contract, Boras will want to juice that AAV a bit.

That’s been the super-agent’s MO lately, with Bregman, Pete Alonso, and Cody Bellinger leveraging opt-outs to land bigger paydays after re-establishing their worthiness for long deals. Those terms make sense for the players, but I’m not sure how adding another potential rental to the rotation makes the Cubs better in either the immediate or distant future.

Again, the only way I see Gallen being part of the picture is if someone — Taillon makes the most sense — is traded to make room. But that just feels like making moves for the sake of making moves. Besides, the potential for a Matt Shaw trade that would see controllable pitching coming back to Chicago would make a Gallen signing entirely superfluous. I could much sooner see Shaw and Taillon to Boston for one of a number of young starters currently in the Red Sox stable.

The possibility of Shaw being dealt, particularly to the Red Sox, is something CI’s Jacob Zanolla looked at recently. Such an option gained a little credence on Monday with Jon Heyman’s report that the Cubs are among the teams looking at utilityman Miguel Andujar, who plays exactly the same role the Cubs have talked to Shaw about filling. They should just keep Shaw if we’re talking apples-to-apples because he’s cheaper and has much more upside, but Andujar could be the play if Jed Hoyer knows he can talk old buddy Craig Breslow into giving up one of those young arms.

This is one of those situations in which a lot of things would need to fall into place for it to happen, which leads me to believe one of two things is true. Either the Cubs are eyeing Gallen as a fallback in case they can’t get Boston to play ball, or Boras is simply trying to create leverage for his client. Boras was in Chicago with Bregman and could just be using Levine to stoke the fire a bit. I tend to believe that’s a much stronger possibility than the Cubs signing Gallen, but maybe their interest is legit.

I mean, we know how much Hoyer loves adding dudes who throw 93 mph with cut-ride fastballs. He also has a strong affinity for reclamation projects, so Gallen looks like a perfect fit from a philosophical standpoint.

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