A prominent free agent is reportedly going back to his old home.
Merrill Kelly is finalizing a two-year, $40 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, as first reported Sunday morning by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. He’ll return to the organization that traded him to the Texas Rangers in July.
After spending years in the minor leagues, Kelly reinvented himself in the KBO League before joining the Diamondbacks in 2019. The right-hander registered a 3.77 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over seven seasons and played a prominent role in Arizona capturing an improbable 2023 National League pennant, allowing six combined runs in four stellar postseason outings.
Kelly rebounded from an injury-plagued 2024 to post a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts before Arizona shipped him to Texas. He garnered a 4.23 ERA in 10 turns for his new club, which missed the playoffs with an 81-81 record.
The Boston Red Sox surfaced as a potential landing spot for Kelly. They instead acquired Dustin May, who reportedly signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.
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Once the offseason commenced, Boston continued to get linked to the 37-year-old. However, that pairing became less likely when the Red Sox acquired Sonny Gray from the Cardinals and Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Kelly rejoins a Diamondbacks rotation that will begin the 2026 season without an injured Corbin Burnes and could lose Zac Gallen in free agency. He’s 15th in starts (172) and innings (1,008 1/3) since working his way to MLB, so the crafty pitcher should stabilize the NL West squad’s starting staff next year.
Featured image via Denis Poroy/Imagn Images
