The Corbin Burnes signing shocked everyone—the best-starting pitcher didn’t go to any of the teams he was rumored to go to. Not San Francisco, not even Toronto. He went to the Arizona Diamondbacks and signed a massive deal for six years. Now, the D-backs have a history of shocking everyone like this with such elite player signings. For example, they got Zach Greinke, and then a few years later Madison Bumgarner, and now Burnes.

And it wasn’t cheap. They signed Corbin with a $210 million contract—the largest for the franchise as of yet. This includes $64 million in deferred payments. Burnes also gets a $10 million signing bonus and salaries of $30 million in 2025 and 2026. It will increase further to $35 million annually from 2027 to 2030. Plus, he has the opt-out option after two years. Now while this signing is a welcome shift for their roster, there are rumors about the future of Zac Gallen. According to insiders like Ken Rosenthal, Gallen’s time in Arizona is coming to a close.

Is Zac Gallen going to bid goodbye to Arizona?

At the Foul Territory podcast, Ken Rosenthal was asked about Zac Gallen and his future at the Arizona Diamondbacks. And well, Rosenthal was almost confident that Gallen would leave. He mentioned that given Gallen is a Scott Boras client and he is heading to his walk year, the chances of him getting an extension are slim. “Maybe 5% if that,” said Rosenthal. The more likely scenario? Well, Rosenthal said Gallen could hit free agency and end up with a massive deal.

Plus, Rosenthal also mentioned that the Arizona Diamondbacks signing Corbin Burnes is tied to Gallen too. Rosenthal mentioned that the D-backs weren’t sure that Gallen would remain on the team after this season. Hence, they signed Burnes for a minimum two-year deal for a sort of protection. This way, in case Gallen, Merrill Kelly, or even Jordan Montgomery don’t return, the team has time to regroup.

But never say never, and Ken Rosenthal gave an instance in which Zac Gallen could stay back. The same reason Burnes stayed—want to stay in Phoenix. “Now, maybe he’s like Corbin Burnes and wants to stay in the Phoenix area. It’s certainly possible,” said Ken Rosenthal. Now Jon Heyman had revealed that the Giants and Blue Jays offered Burnes more money, but because of Arizona’s low tax rate plus Burnes family living in Scottsdale, he decided to stay with the D’backs. So if that’s the case with Zac, then even he can stay back.

Big news for the Arizona Diamondbacks! Out of Sasaki run?

As rumor has it, the team is about to sign 17-year-old outfielder Elly De La Cruz. He is an international free agent and is set to sign starting January 15. According to Francys Romero, a BBWAA writer for BeisbolFR, La Cruz is ranked as the 28th-best prospect. However, that may vary according to several sites. Elly De La Cruz stands at 6’1 and is 180 pounds, a right-handed hitter and thrower with a solid arm. Rated 50-55 on the 20-80 scouting scale!

The Arizona Diamondbacks are offering him a $1.2 million signing bonus. This is a big chunk of their $6.9 million bonus pool, but this also means they might be out of the Roki Sasaki race. Because the Japanese pitcher would have wanted the entire pool. But what really stands out about La Cruz is his sheer power. He can drive the ball with huge authority. His plate discipline does need work but his bat speed is stellar – think Marcell Ozuna’s swing.

This signing is also part of a bigger push to tap into the Dominican market by the team. They recently opened their Dominican Academy, a one-of-a-kind in MLB. Right now, it seems like they are bent on growing their farm system. However official news from Diamondbacks is still yet to come. Stay tuned to the website for updates.