The Arizona Diamondbacks have seen a slight decline 2025, not a full two years removed from their inspirational 2023 World Series run.
Sitting just below .500 and fourth place in a division that also houses the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, some struggle was likely expected this year from the D-Backs.
Offensively, the team isn’t set back too much. With the power that Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, and Eugenio Suarez have exhibited so far (all have at least 19 home runs), it might come as a shock as to why Arizona is struggling.
But with the struggle at this point in the season, it’s time to see if the team will buy or sell at the trade deadline, and if they sell, that could include one of their finer arms in Zac Gallen.
And according to The Athletic, one team that could definitely use him is the St. Louis Cardinals.
Besides Sonny Gray who holds a 9-3 record and 113 strikeouts, the starters for the Red Birds have been lacking, and with St. Louis in a tight race for an NL Wild Card spot, a second reliable starting arm might be just what the team needs.
Gallen currently sits with a 7-9 record with 107 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched. His 5.15 ERA is a tad alarming, but surely the All-Star break can bring him back to his dominant self that almost won the NL Cy Young Award in 2023.
His report on The Athletic’s rank reads Gallen as “a proven starter having a down year.”
And after fellow Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes went down for the season with Tommy John surgery, it’s been up to Gallen and Merrill Kelly to limp the Diamondbacks pitching to the midseason break, and if their struggles continue afterwards, then maybe sending off one of their better starters to St. Louis might not be the worst idea.
