Free agent right-hander Merrill Kelly, after being dealt by the Diamondbacks to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline last season, is returning to Arizona on a two-year, $40 million deal, sources confirmed to ESPN amid multiple media reports.
Kelly, 37, went a combined 12-9 with a 3.42 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 32 starts last season.
Kelly is viewed as a grind-it-out innings eater but doesn’t boast big raw stuff. His changeup is his best pitch by a wide margin, and he gets by with location and off-speed stuff.
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Prior to the trade to the Rangers, Kelly had spent six-plus seasons with Arizona and was a stalwart in the Diamondbacks’ run to the 2023 World Series, striking out 28 and posting a 2.25 ERA over 24 innings.
Overall, he is 65-53 with a 3.77 ERA and 911 strikeouts in 1,008⅓ innings over seven MLB seasons.
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.
