PHOENIX — Merrill Kelly was in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, getting ready for Alek Thomas’ wedding when he experienced a moment 15 years in the making.
Kelly agreed to terms on a two-year, $40 million contract with the Diamondbacks, reuniting the Arizona native with his hometown ballclub that took a chance on him seven years ago.
“I tried to keep it as lowkey as I could, I didn’t want to overshadow what the real celebration was of AT getting married,” Kelly said Friday. “But everyone was excited. It was kind of that young core of Ryne Nelson, (Brandon) Pfaadt was there, (Zac) Gallen was there, Blaze (Alexander) was there, (Jake) McCarthy, Pavin (Smith). Being able to agree to the terms and then celebrate with all the guys I knew I’d be back in the locker room with was a pretty cool experience.”
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It was an emotional moment for the 37-year-old, both in regards to his future but also taking account for his past.
Kelly’s new contract will more than double his career earnings while taking him potentially to 10 years of MLB service time as he approaches 40.
He called it possibly his last deal.
The contract further materializes how far he’d come from failing to reach the major leagues early in his career with Tampa Bay to pitching in South Korea and finding another opportunity back home. He paid off the Diamondbacks’ trust by developing into one of the National League’s most consistent pitchers.
Kelly had been open that finishing his career in Arizona was preferable, and neither he nor the Diamondbacks wanted to part ways last season. The Diamondbacks ended up cashing in Kelly on a contract year to Texas for three pitching prospects — whom Kelly could now mentor come spring training.
It was made clear at the time that the D-backs would reach back out once Kelly hit the market, and he credited the Diamondbacks for being “the first ones in the door” for him this offseason, the first team to make an offer.
“ I think anytime you get traded, there’s always a bit of doubt,” Kelly said. “The conversations I had with the front office, with (general manager Mike Hazen and assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye) during the trade, right off the bat they expressed interest in me coming back. We know that most times nothing’s forever. Luckily I’m in a spot where I get to come back and try to make it forever.”
Putting on his GM hat, Kelly agreed that it probably made more sense for the organization to trade him and then try to bring him back after, as the Diamondbacks were 51-58 at the deadline and nine games back of a playoff spot. He did not entertain the “what if” scenario of Arizona keeping him and pushing for the postseason.
Hazen admitted that you always run the risk that bringing a player back could become more difficult after trading him. And while there was an “enticing offer” from another team — The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reported that the Padres made a run at Kelly — the veteran said the Diamondbacks “got to where we wanted to be.”
Staying in Arizona was a big deal for Kelly and his family.
“Arizona’s home, it’s always gonna be home,” Kelly said. “I didn’t really want to go anywhere else. I was obviously open to going somewhere else just because of taking the best opportunity that we could. Being back here means a lot, not only for me, but my direct family, obviously with my wife and my kids, but also my extended family with my in-laws and my parents being here.”
The contract includes a limited no-trade clause and four premium tickets to every game he pitches in, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
Merrill KellyDiamondbacks
$40M, 2 years plus option Signing Bonus $2M
$17M – 2026$21M – 2027
Vesting option 2028 for $12M if 170IP in 2027; $14M if 185IP in 2027
Plus: Four Premium tickets to each home game that Player is scheduled starting pitcher.
Limited No Trade
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 22, 2025
Getting to spend two months pitching somewhere else, Kelly said, might have been helpful in the free agency process. It was difficult living away from his wife and two young kids, saying the “grass isn’t always greener.”
When asked what he learned in Texas, he bluntly said, “That I liked Arizona better.”
As much as the Diamondbacks fit Kelly as he enters this next phase of his career, Arizona was in clear need of what he offers.
Arizona’s pitching staff is in desperate need of consistency, and the Diamondbacks are betting on Kelly to continue to perform into his late 30s.
He’s worked a 3.47 ERA from 2022-25, averaging 159 innings per season. He doesn’t blow hitters away, instead using six pitches plus command to pitch deep into games.
Hazen also pointed to Kelly’s makeup and leadership in the clubhouse, calling his self-made career arc something other players respect.
“He’s a very unique player, I think, within the game in terms of his ability to command the baseball,” Hazen said Friday. “I know Zack Greinke got lauded for this skill. I think Merrill brings a lot of that pitchability, command, repeating his delivery to the table and can maintain effectiveness into his later years.”
“I’m gonna try to stay as consistent as I can,” Kelly added. “If I come back and the league shows me they’re starting to adjust to what I do, then I’m gonna have to adjust with what I have to work with. … I’m gonna try everything I possibly can to give the D-backs organization, give the D-backs fans the best version of my 37, 38 self that I possibly can.”
Hazen was clear that the Diamondbacks will continue to look for pitching, both when it comes to starters and relievers.
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