Ace Gallen declines Team USA invitation
Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen passed on the chance to pitch for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, saying it wasn’t the right time in his career to participate.
“In my heart, I wanted to play,” Gallen said, “but I think it’s maybe not the safest bet sometimes to go out there and play.”
Gallen is coming off the best season of his career, a year in which he posted a 2.54 ERA in 31 starts, good for a fifthplace finish in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
He will make $5.6 million this year in the first of three arbitration-eligible seasons, after which he would be eligible for free agency. If he continues to pitch the way he has and remains healthy, he will be in line for a massive, nine-figure contract.
“You don’t play this game for money, but I understand what’s at stake,” Gallen said. “If I keep healthy and just keep performing, I understand that I can set up myself, my family, my kid’s kids. You have to kind of look at the bigger picture.
“But, I mean, I saw the roster and was like, man, it’d be awesome to be 60 years old and tell my grandkids that I played with Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, all those guys. I just kind of had to take a step back and think about the bigger picture and hope that I’ll be healthy for the next one and in a little different stage of my career.”
Gallen said his health history — he had a minor elbow issue two years ago — was a minor consideration, but he seemed to have a more nuanced view of the risks of participating. He said he is still trying to figure out the ideal routine to best prepare himself for a season and was more concerned about how he would subconsciously handle key situations while representing his on a big stage.
“I might want to try to go 100 percent,” he said, “which might be 110 percent because of the adrenaline.”
Gallen said it was a “cool honor” that Team USA manager Mark DeRosa wanted him to pitch. He said DeRosa reached out multiple times to gauge his interest, including as recently as a few weeks ago.
“Ultimately, it came down to being smart about it, as much as I wanted to play,” Gallen said. “And I got different opinions from a lot of people, all of whom I respected very much. I think I had to kind of listen to my gut on it.”
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly will be pitching for Team USA in the tournament that begins next month. Kelly is one of five players on the Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster expected to play.
Carroll’s contract
Corbin Carroll declined to comment on the possibility of contract talks with the Diamondbacks, who, according to sources, are interested in signing the rookie outfielder to a long-term deal.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Carroll said. “Even if there was, it wouldn’t be something that I’d feel comfortable with sharing.”
No deal is said to be imminent. Carroll, one of the top prospects in baseball, is expected to be the Diamondbacks’ primary left fielder this season. If he remains in the majors the entire time between now and then, he would be eligible for free agency after the 2028 season.
Short hops
The Diamondbacks will play a seven-inning sim game on Wednesday against the Kiwoom Heroes, a club from Korea’s top professional league. Diamondbacks hitters will take at-bats and pitchers will face hitters, but Lovullo said there will be no defenders. “We felt it was a little too early to put fielders out there,” Lovullo said. The Diamondbacks open Cactus League play with a pair of split squad games on Saturday.
Outfielder Kristian Robinson, who missed the past two seasons due to legal problems, remains on the restricted list but has been able to participate in workouts at big league camp. “I watched his BP today and he seems to be barreling up the baseball,” Lovullo said. “He’s missed a lot of baseball games, a lot of baseball time. We’ve got to figure out a way to make that up. He seems to be in a really good spot with his baseball fundamentals.” Robinson still does not have the proper work visa to return to action; the club is hopeful the situation gets resolved in the coming weeks.