Report: RHP Merrill Kelly returning to Arizona on 2-year, $40M deal

Field Level Media|published: 12/14/2025, 10:42am EST

Sep 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Merrill Kelly throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

Right-hander Merrill Kelly is returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks, The Athletic reported Sunday.

The Diamondbacks traded Kelly to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline last July. Now, the 37-year-old is poised to return to the desert on a two-year, $40 million free-agent deal, per the report.

Kelly is from the area. He went to high school in Scottsdale and played in state in college at both Yavapai and Arizona State.

He made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks on April 1, 2019, at age 30 after five years in the minor leagues and four years playing professionally in South Korea.

In his six-plus seasons in Arizona, he had a 62-50 record in 162 games (all starts) and pitched 953 innings with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly three to one.

With the Rangers, he made 10 starts and finished 3-3 with a 4.23 ERA in 55 1/3 innings. His strikeout-to walk ratio was 4.6 to one.

He pitched at least 150 innings in each of five seasons.

--Field Level Media