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Why Diamondbacks' 4.80 ERA All-Star is unfortunately a 'loser' this season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been one of the better teams in baseball recently, and have climbed ahead of the San Diego Padres in the NL West.
They're 31-24, and very much in the postseason race this season. But that doesn't mean all of their players are performing well. A few are going through some major struggles.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report identified the D-Backs 4.80 ERA All-Star pitcher as a "loser" this season. Unfortunately, this pitcher, Zac Gallen, is deserving of this label.
Why Zac Gallen is a 'loser' for 2026 season
"Loser: Zac Gallen," Kelly writes. "From 2022-2024, Gallen was one of the best pitchers in baseball... Since then, though, Gallen has posted a 4.82 ERA and 4.47 FIP in 44 starts. He's gone from one of the game's best starters to an expensive innings eater."
Strictly looking at his on-field production, Gallen has been a major disappointment this season. He has a 4.80 ERA in 11 starts with an 84 ERA+. Last year, he had a 4.83 ERA in 33 starts with an 89 ERA+.
Compared to his prior production, which consisted of a 3.29 ERA in 143 starts with a 129 ERA+ since 2019, Gallen's recent production has been incredibly disappointing.
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But it's not just bad for the Diamondbacks; it's especially bad for Gallen. He was a free agent after his rough 2025 season, and after declining the $22.025 million qualifying offer, he came back on a deal with the same value, just spread out over a few years.
With how bad he's looked this season, it would not be a surprise if Gallen, once again, didn't receive much interest in free agency.
His struggles this season for Arizona have him as a "Loser" according to Kelly, and it's hard not to see how the 2026 season for Gallen has hurt him financially and hurt his team.
It's a rough year for Gallen so far, and while he could turn things around as he did down the stretch for Arizona last season, this is the second season in a row of below-average production, and likely significantly hurts his chances of landing a big deal in free agency.
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