Cubs' Zach Gallen rumors won't die

Did you miss Sunday night's RECRAP on the Bears playoff loss?

Just last week I told Jed Hoyer to carefully step away from his roster before he broke it, but according to the Marquee Sports Network building's permanent under the couch tenant Bruce Levine, Jed's not done, and he's not just looking to tinker with the it.

On The Score, Bruce said that the Cubs are still talking to Scott Boras about one of his players, and it's a guy Boob Nightengale reported they had signed back in November.

It was not crazy to think that when the Cubs traded for Marlins' right-handed starter Edward Cabrera that they were done adding anything more than depth caliber pieces to the rotation.

They currently have Cabrera, Cade Horton, Shōta Imanaga, Matt Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad, Colin Rea and (grumbles) Jordan Wicks. Plus, they are expecting to get Justin Steele back in late April or early May, and they have the rarest of all Cubs' things, a legit starting pitcher prospect in Jaxon Wiggins who will likely be ready to make starts in the big leagues this year if needed.

That's ten guys. But according to Bruce, the Cubs are talking to Boras about Zac Gallen on a "short-term" deal. Gallen's market has not developed thanks to a down year in 2025, which featured an especially bad first half. Even when Gallen rebounded in the second half to something closer to what he'd been like the four previous seasons, teams saw enough red flags that the D'bags were unable to trade him, even though they clearly had no desire to bring him back.

They did make a qualifying offer to Gallen, which meant he could have gone back for one year at $22 million (like Shōta did), but when he didn't the attached draft pick compensation to the D'bags by any team that signs him has sunk his value even more.

Signing Gallen would require the Cubs to do two things they don't like to do, but one thing they love to do.

First, they would go even farther over the $244 million first-tier luxury tax, and they would lose their second draft pick (not second round, second pick wherever that is) and the slot money that goes with it, plus a $500K deduction in their international pool money. But, they would get a short-term deal, which is right up their alley.

Because they will get a comp pick for the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker, losing their second pick is less of a big deal. And, considering how poorly they draft after the first round, it's not like they'd do anything with it anyway.

Also, why fret about next year's penalties, when the CBA is expiring the day after this year's World Series? You don't know what the new rules are going to be anyway.

If the Cubs actually did sign Gallen, how would that effect their rotation?