Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has named his Opening Day starter. The nod will go to Zac Gallen, who will make his third Opening Day start in a row. By doing so, Gallen becomes the sixth pitcher in franchise history to make three Opening Day starts.
Lovullo talked about his decision, with Julia Lopez of Arizona Family 3TV posting the video on X.
#Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo announces Zac Gallen as their Opening Day starter. @azfamily pic.twitter.com/2uze58Xqjn
— Julia Lopez (@JuliaLopez3) March 20, 2025
Ultimately, it came down to the familiarity and bond Lovullo has built with Gallen over the years. The 29-year-old starter has been in the rotation since they acquired him at the 2019 trade deadline. Over that time period, he's made 136 starts for the Diamondbacks, going 52-34 with a 3.32 ERA
Gallen has made at least 28 starts in each of the past three years. In 2022 and 2023, he finished in the Top 5 of National League Cy Young voting. He is set to hit free agency after the season, and will certainly be in the mix for a big contract. By naming him the Opening Day starter, it could improve their odds of working out an extension or re-signing him in free agency.
The Diamondbacks have done a lot to make themselves an attractive free agent destination. They're just two seasons removed from a run to the World Series, which Gallen was instrumental in. He's since established himself as a big piece of the team. In order to keep their current run going, keeping much of their rotation intact will be critical.
The other candidate to start on Opening Day was Corbin Burnes. Signing a franchise-record $210 million contract last December, his track record was also worth considering for that start. The 2021 Cy Young Award winner has been excellent over the past four seasons, pitching to a 2.94 ERA and accumulating 16.4 bWAR. Instead, he will likely start Game 2 against the Cubs on March 28.