Brewers legend makes stance clear on Diamondbacks' choice of $13.5M ace over Corbin Burnes as Opening Day starter

The Arizona Diamondbacks are hoping to bounce back after a disappointing 2024 campaign which saw the club miss the postseason altogether. It was a rough season for the club after reaching the World Series the year prior, however, after some notable moves this offseason, they are looking poised to make a playoff push in 2025.

Some of the notable additions that the Arizona Diamondbacks made this season include Corbin Burnes, Josh Naylor and Garrett Hampson. Despite Burnes being one of the best pitchers in baseball and the fact that he signed a six-year, $210 million deal, the team has opted to go with Zac Gallen as their Opening Day starter.

Even though Corbin Burnes was dominant for the Baltimore Orioles last season, former Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Dan Plesac is happy with the team's decision to run with Gallen.

The veteran has spent the last six seasons with the D-Backs, and Plesac approves of the team's decision to reward their long-time pitcher with the Opening Day start given his reliability and success in the Majors.

"I don't think there's any question about it... He's a really good pitcher. He moves the ball up, down, in, and out. Adds, subtracts. You know what you're going to get from him. A reliable, no non-sense guy, I just love his presence on the mound. He's very much in control of his body," Plesac said of Gallen.

The veteran pitcher, who will make $13,500,000 this season, is in the final year of his deal with the Diamondbacks. Unless the two sides can reach an agreement on an extension, Gallen is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Being named as a team's Opening Day starter is a massive honor for pitchers, however, Dan Plesac believes that Corbin Burnes will have no problem with Arizona's decision to hand the ball to Gallen for the third consecutive year.

"100%, a guy that's been there for a while. Corbin Burnes is well aware of what the Diamondbacks have done and what [Gallen] has meant to that rotation. There's no question in my mind that he's good with it," Plesac continued.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a betting favorite to secure a postseason berth in 2025

Baseball is unpredictable, which is part of the reason why we love it. That being said, popular sports betting website FanDuel believes that Arizona should be able to secure a postseason berth this year. The club has the 6th best odds to make the playoffs according to FanDuel, sitting a -115 to secure a spot.

Coincidentally, the Chicago Cubs sit one spot ahead of them in terms of odds, which also happens to be the team that Zac Gallen will open the year against. Given how close the race is, the 4-game series between the two clubs to open the year could play a significant impact at the end of the year.