The Arizona Diamondbacks have brought back a big part of their 2023 NL Championship team.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has reported that the Diamondbacks have signed starting pitcher Merrill Kelly to a two-year, $40 million deal.
After being traded at last year’s deadline to the Texas Rangers for pitchers Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and David Hagaman, the Diamondbacks have made a shrewd move to reacquire an experienced starting pitcher.
The need for starting pitching has not been understated by Arizona General Manager Mike Hazen and the front office. The team has now made a major investment in the veteran starter.
What Can Arizona Fans Expect From Kelly?
Kelly, now 37 years old, will be entering his eighth season with the Snakes. In 162 starts with Arizona, Kelly has pitched to a 3.77 ERA, having an ERA under 4 in three of the last four seasons.
But will he take a step back? It’s hard to say.
In 2025, Kelly pitched to a 3.52 ERA in 184 innings. Kelly has always been a workhorse, pitching 175 or more innings in four of his seven major league seasons.
With the Rangers after the 2025 trade deadline, Kelly pitched to a 4.23 ERA in 10 games (55.1 innings).
He also has a knack for pitching in big-time games with a 2.25 ERA in four postseason starts in 2023.
While he won’t give you a ton of strikeouts, he limits walks to a minimum, having four seasons with less than 50 walks, and four seasons with more than 150 strikeouts.
While his velocity is not overpowering, his offspeed and breaking pitches, as well as elite command, have led to strong seasons.
According to Baseball Savant, Kelly’s chase percentage was in the 91st percentile in 2025, a strong indictment of his offspeed and breaking pitches.
At the very least, Arizona fans should expect Kelly not to take too far of a step back, with optimism that he continues his excellence in the desert.
Kelly’s Fit With Arizona/Gallen Fallout
With the re-signing of Kelly, he should be the frontrunner for the starting nod on opening day in 2026 with his experience.
As of right now, the five-man rotation should be Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka, barring any additional signings by the Diamondbacks.
With Kelly normally operating as the second starter in the rotation behind Zac Gallen, he should move up to that ace spot.
This signing more than likely means that the Diamondbacks will not bring back Gallen. Not only does the money not make sense after giving Kelly $40 million over two years, but the fit is likely not there with five starters already on the roster.
If this is truly the end of Gallen’s tenure in Arizona, it will have been a successful one, pitching to a 3.61 ERA in seven years with the Diamondbacks.
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