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A disappointing season led the Arizona Diamondbacks to become sellers at this year’s MLB trade deadline.
One of the departing members from Arizona was starting pitcher Merrill Kelly. The right-hander was dealt to the Texas Rangers in hopes of improving the Texas rotation for a second half postseason push.
Kelly is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, and he is not ruling out a return to the Diamondbacks in free agency.
“It’s never off the table,” Kelly told reporters via a post on X from Arizona sports writer Jake Garcia. “Coming home is obviously very attractive, not only for me but for the family aspect as well. At the same time, I’ve put myself in a position to have what is hopefully a decent market … but yeah coming home and being a Diamondback is never ever off the table.”
Kelly made his MLB debut with Arizona in 2019 and had spent every season of his career with the organization prior to being traded in July. He has a career record of 62-50 with a 3.74 ERA across 162 starts with the Diamondbacks.
His stint in Texas has panned out nicely, as Kelly entered Tuesday 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA across six starts and 35 1/3 innings pitched. The Diamondbacks and Rangers are currently in a three-game series, but Kelly is not slated to pitch in the series.
We know that Arizona is willing to spend money on pitching in the offseason, as shown by the six-year, $210 million contract given to Corbin Burnes in free agency. Kelly will not be nearly that expensive, making a reunion between the two sides quite reasonable.
It is obvious that Kelly wants to return to the Diamondbacks, so it will be an intriguing part of the offseason to see if the two sides are able to reach an agreement.
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