The Arizona Diamondbacks’ sell-off continues with starting pitcher Merrill Kelly being traded to the Texas Rangers, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.
Kelly, who turns 37 on Oct. 14, provides another reliable arm to add to the Rangers’ veteran starting rotation, joining Jacob deGrom, Patrick Corbin and Nathan Eovaldi. He’s been the D-backs’ most consistent starter this season, compiling a 3.22 ERA over 22 starts with 121 strikeouts in 128 2/3 innings.
The Rangers’ starting pitchers have the best ERA in MLB at 3.16, led by deGrom (10-3, 2.55 ERA) throwing like the ace who won NL Rookie of the Year and two Cy Young Awards with the New York Mets. Corbin (3.78 ERA) has experienced a career resurgence after struggling for the past five seasons with the Washington Nationals. And Eovaldi (9-3, 1.49 ERA) has been one of the best starters in baseball during the past six seasons.
Texas (57-52) is a postseason contender, tied with the Seattle Mariners for second place in the AL West, five games behind the Houston Astros. The Rangers and Mariners are also tied for the AL’s third wild-card playoff berth, 2.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians and three ahead of the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays.
In exchange for Kelly, who can be a free agent after the season, the D-backs will receive Triple-A left-hander Kohl Drake, Double-A arm Mitch Bratt and Single-A pitcher David Hagaman. Drake, 25, was ranked as the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect by MLB.com, while Bratt, 22, was No. 9 and Hagaman, 22, was No. 13.
Kelly was a late bloomer as an MLB pitcher, an eighth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010 after being drafted in each of the previous two years by the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians, respectively, but not signing. He played nine years in the minors before making his major-league debut with the D-backs in 2019.
During his seven-year MLB career, Kelly has a 3.74 ERA and 62-50 record, averaging 8.2 strikeouts and 2.7 walks per nine innings. He’s two seasons removed from his best year, when he registered a 3.29 ERA and 12-8 record in 30 starts, adding 187 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings.
Kelly is the fourth regular to be dealt away by Arizona leading up to the MLB trade deadline. First baseman Josh Naylor began the D-backs’ trade season by going to the Seattle Mariners. That was followed by outfielder Randal Grichuk being traded to the Kansas City Royals and third baseman Eugenio Suárez also going to Seattle in a separate deal.
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