Rangers trade for Merrill Kelly in deadline boost to starting rotation
The veteran right-hander was traded by the Diamondbacks to Texas ahead of Thursday's deadline, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
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The Rangers sent left-handed pitcher Kohl Drake and right-hander David Hagaman, who are MLB.com's No. 5 and No. 13 prospects in Texas' farm system, to Arizona in exchange for Kelly, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Kelly, 36, is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, posting a 3.22 ERA with 121 strikeouts across 128 ⅔ innings in 2025.
Since debuting at 30 years old in 2019, Kelly has been one of the most consistent starters in baseball, making 162 starts over seven seasons with a 3.74 ERA.
Kelly will slot in behind Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi in the Rangers' rotation, giving Texas one of the best 1-2-3 punches in the league.
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Pittsburgh.
AP
The Rangers are currently 57-52, sitting five games back in the American League West and tied with the Mariners for the third and final AL Wild Card spot.
The Diamondbacks' trade of Kelly is the latest in what has turned out to be a deadline fire sale for the franchise.
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Merrill Kelly #29 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers to the plate during the first inning against the against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 13, 2025 in Anaheim, California.
On Wednesday, they traded two-time All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez to the Mariners.
Earlier this month, Arizona sent Josh Naylor to Seattle and Randal Grichuk to Kansas City.
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The Diamondbacks are well out of the National League playoff race, trailing the Dodgers by 12 games in the NL West and the third NL Wild Card spot by nine games.
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