Diamondbacks Re-Sign Merrill Kelly to 2-Year, $40M Deal

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed veteran starting pitcher Merrill Kelly to a two-year, $40 million contract, reuniting the 37-year-old right-hander with the team where he spent the first six and a half seasons of his major league career. The agreement, reached on Sunday and pending a physical, brings Kelly back to Phoenix after he was traded to the Texas Rangers at the July deadline.

Kelly, a Scottsdale native who played college baseball at Arizona State University, expressed strong interest in returning home even before the trade. "The front office knows how fond I am of being here and being home," he said in July. "I know my wife is fond of being here and being home. Regardless of what happens after the 31st, being here is never off the table."

The deal represents a significant raise for Kelly, who earned about $9 million annually in his previous contract with Arizona. Over the next two seasons, he will average $20 million per year, reflecting the team's commitment to bolstering its rotation amid a thin free-agent market for starting pitchers. In 2025, Kelly posted a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts for the Diamondbacks before the trade, finishing the year with a combined 12-9 record...