Everyone, and we mean everyone, has known that the Atlanta Braves have been searching for rotation depth all offseason long. The start of the offseason brought comments from Alex Anthopoulos himself saying that starting pitching was going to be a priority, and most of the available arms were all connected to the Braves in one form or another at some point. The latest name to come off the board, Zac Gallen, was no exception, although it sounds like Atlanta's actual interest may not have been what we all thought.
There are player markets that the Braves were clearly involved in, including Tatsuya Imai, Lucas Giolito (who is still available as of the morning of February 17), Chris Bassitt, and many others. However, in the closing days of the offseason, Gallen was still available, and the rumor mill wasn't exactly teeming with chatter about Atlanta in his market beyond roster fit.
It sounds like there is a good reason for that relative lack of buzz. According to Braves insider Mark Bowman, the Braves felt as though Gallen " was never deemed a fit for Atlanta," and there is at least one very good reason why they didn't pursue him further even if the team will never say it.
It sounds like Zac Gallen was never seriously on the Braves' radar, and the qualifying offer feels like a prime suspect as to why
Purely based on talent, Gallen would have fit in great within the Braves' rotation. While it is true that Gallen is coming off a down year, Atlanta really just needs a quality bridge to their future where their arms are (hopefully) fully healthy, and some of their pitching prospects have more time to get ready. However, with Gallen accepting a deal that matched the qualifying offer he declined with the Diamondbacks, the Braves' hesitation seems very clear.
It is easier to justify signing a guy who has a qualifying offer attached when it is a long-term deal. Doing so does cost a draft pick, but you also get a guy under contract that is likely to be very good for years. In that scenario, the trade-off makes sense. However, Gallen seemed destined for a one-year deal, "prove it" deal for most of the offseason.
Given the direction of talks, it is no wonder the Braves weren't that interested. Anthopoulos loves signing pitchers to one-year deals, but he has never shown any appetite for giving up a prime draft pick to close any such deal. It is honestly still wild that this front office signed Will Smith to a three-year deal despite having turned down a qualifying offer.
This calculus is complicated by the fact that the Braves' second-highest draft pick, which is the pick they would lose if they signed a QO player, is a bottom of the first-round pick. That is a high pick and a lot of draft bonus pool for any team to give up under any circumstances. However, in the case of Gallen and the Braves' rotation needs, that cost may have been a bridge too far for Atlanta, despite how strong their need is now.