Braves insider just floated a potential free agent starter bargain for Atlanta

Now that the Atlanta Braves have officially named Walt Weiss as their next manager, the team can begin to brainstorm what a successful offseason will look like. Atlanta has a few internal decisions to make on players with club options, but after the five day window for those decisions closes on Thursday, it's full steam ahead for Alex Anthopoulos.

The primary focus from the fanbase was always going to be shortstop, but Anthopoulos also knows the pitching staff can't be overlooked this winter. Many baseball pundits think the Braves will be in the market for a starting pitcher, but to what amount of money remains a mystery. Braves insider, Mark Bowman of mlb.com, recently shared his offseason FAQ and some of the info shared made folks raise an eyebrow. One of the most interesting things Bowman mentioned was free agent Zac Gallen, who he feels is a name that could make sense for Atlanta this winter. When you look at the evidence around Gallen's free agent profile, it certainly supports Bowman's hypothesis.

Zac Gallen feels like the prime bounce back candidate the Braves usually seek

Anytime a free agent seeks a one year deal to bounce back from a down season, Anthopoulos usually comes calling. Zac Gallen was a rock in the rotation for the Arizona Diamondbacks for the majority of his seven years spent out west. However, 2025 was the shakiest year of his big league career by far. Gallen got off to such a terrible start in 2025, that his strong second half and long track record of success in seasons prior doesn't feel like it will be enough to help him land a big contract this offseason.

Gallen is 30 years-old and finished top five in NL Cy Young voting in 2022 and 2023. Unfortunately, Gallen regressed pretty hard last season, to the tune of a career high 4.83 ERA and 4.50 FIP. The most concerning part of Gallen's profile was the dip in strikeout rate in 2025. Gallen's K% hovered right around 26% from 2021-2024. However, last season Gallen's strikeout rate dipped to 21.5%.

Because Gallen has never been a pitcher to beat hitters with velocity, the decline in swing and miss stuff in what should be the prime of his career was alarming. However, this is where Anthopoulos could swoop in because thanks to Gallen's strong finish in 2025 he feels like a prime bounce back candidate. It's not a bad bet to assume the first half of 2025 was simply an outlier for Gallen, and he has at least a few more middle of the rotation type years left in his arm.

Gallen's contract projections vary depending on the source. In Tim Britton's latest free agent contract prediction piece for The Athletic, he said two years and $42 million seemed fair. It's an early guess, but Mark Bowman seems to think this is the area of the free agent pitching market Anthopoulos will look to operate this winter. If Gallen indeed ends up being the arm brought in, there is reason to get excited about the ceiling of the Braves' 2026 rotation.