Free agent pitcher Merrill Kelly is returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The veteran right-hander, whom the D’backs sent to Texas at the 2025 trade deadline for two pitching prospects, has reached an agreement with the team on a two-year, $40 million deal, as confirmed by The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Kelly, 37, spent four seasons pitching in Korea before the Diamondbacks signed him in 2019. He compiled a 62-50 record and 3.74 ERA in seven seasons with the team. He went a combined 12-9 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.11 WHIP for Arizona and Texas this year.
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The agreement between Kelly and the Diamondbacks was first reported by The Athletic.
He becomes the second free-agent pitcher to sign with the Diamondbacks this offseason, joining left-hander Mike Soroka, who received a one-year, $7.5 million deal last week. They’ll join a projected rotation that also includes right-handers Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt and lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.