Former UNC pitcher named amongst ESPN's Top 50 MLB Trade Deadline candidates
Athletes will struggle, even at the professional level. Just ask Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen, the former UNC standout who is mired in the worst season of his MLB career.
Gallen, who finished top fiv ive in NL CY Young voting for the 2023 MLB season, currently sports a 7-10 win-loss record with a 5.40 earned run average. Despite striking out 110 batters, good enough for 30th amongst all pitchers, Gallen just gave up six runs in a Saturday loss to the sub-.500 Los Angeles Angels.
Sometimes, players just need a change of scenery to rediscover their talent. Such could be the case for Gallen, whom ESPN recently named a Top 50 Trade Deadline Candidate.
"Gallen was excellent for the past three seasons but now, in a contract year, is posting career-worst numbers in almost every category," Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan wrote. "His stuff looks similar, but he's allowing much more damage when hitters make contact. That said, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is back to normal in his past five starts, at 29-to-5, despite a 6.04 ERA in that span. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said the team does not plan to deal away players at the deadline, but if Arizona doesn't make a run, it could reap a huge return with all its impending free agents."
Arizona is in a comfortable spot itself, sitting at .500 and eight games out of first place in the NL West, with a deficit even closer in the wild card race. I'm sure the Diamondbacks want the former Diamond Heel for their playoff push – and they have until July 31 to decide.
Gallen compiled a 14-13 win-loss record at North Carolina, compiling a 3.36 ERA and striking out 231 batters. Gallen was part of Arizona's World Series run in 2023, starting Game 1 as its staff ace, then followed that season up with a 14-6 campaign in 2024.
Will Gallen stay put in the desert or join a World Series contender? You'll know by Thursday, July 31, better known as the trade deadline.
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