Merrill Kelly has no ill will toward the Arizona Diamondbacks. Months after the team traded him to the Texas Rangers, Kelly returned to his former team and agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal to rejoin Arizona, according to multiple reports.
Kelly, 37, is coming off a season in which he posted a 3.52 ERA in 184 innings with the Diamondbacks and Rangers.
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Kelly’s career has taken quite a turn since he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010. After a solid run in the minor leagues with the Rays, Kelly never got a call to the major leagues. He eventually decided to play in South Korea, signing with the SK Wyverns in 2015 and playing for the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) for four years.
He decided to try to return to the major leagues in 2019 and signed a two-year contract with the Diamondbacks. His first year back wasn’t going well. Kelly had a 4.91 ERA in his first 27 starts in the majors. Kelly, who was facing demotion, posted a 2.18 ERA in his final five starts and bounced back the next game. Those starts may have saved his MLB career.
Kelly started just five games in 2020 and looked good, but was lost for the season due to injury. He had a mediocre 2021, posting a 4.44 ERA in 158 innings.
The next year, however, Kelly found another gear. He led the league with 33 starts and had a 3.37 ERA in 200 1/3 innings. These improvements have been put on hold. Since 2022, Kelly has made 108 starts in the majors and has a 3.47 ERA.
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During this time, he became the Diamondbacks’ de facto ace and started Game 2 of the 2023 World Series against the Texas Rangers.
Kelly wasn’t known for great speed or big strikeout numbers, but instead found success with a high volume of pitches and precise placement. It can be a tough road to take in the major leagues at times, but it’s helped Kelly remain productive past 30 years old. While Kelly has dealt with some injuries during his career, he has been mostly durable, pitching at least 150 innings or more in four of the past five years.
The Diamondbacks apparently believed Kelly could continue to put up strong numbers despite his age, reportedly signing him through his age-38 season. The team will need him early as ace Corbin Burnes recovers from Tommy John surgery to start the 2026 MLB season.
Kelly may not be the flashiest starter, but after some struggles early in his career, he’s proven to be a valuable rotation player. After a brief stint in Texas, it was only fitting that Kelly return to Arizona — where he developed into a reliable pitcher — for another ride.