For however dead the 2026 MLB Winter Meetings felt, the days thereafter have seen some consistent activity. This morning, that begins (per Ken Rosenthal) with free agent starter Merrill Kelly re-upping with the Arizona Diamondbacks, with whom he spent 7.5 of his 8 big-league seasons.
Merrill Kelly Back to the Diamondbacks
Merrill Kelly was a rumored Cubs trade target at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, but he was eventually dealt to the Rangers, for whom he was serviceable, but not much more than that: 10 starts, 55.1 IP, 4.23 ERA, 4.18 FIP.
Before the trade, however, Kelly was in quite a groove, earning a 3.22 ERA (3.58 FIP) over 22 starts with a 45.0% groundball rate, a 23.5% strikeout rate, a 7.4% walk rate, and a .206 AVG against (all very solid numbers). And for the most part, he’s always been very solid.
Given the prior Cubs connection and their apparent needs, Merrill Kelly was theoretically an option for Chicago this offseason, but not much more than that. They were never connected in any meaningful rumors, and Kelly is in a lower tier than we believe the Cubs to be shopping. His heading back to the Diamondbacks isn’t a giant market mover in terms of the Cubs’ efforts.
With that said, $20M per year is a VERY healthy get for the 37-year-old starter. Obviously, the Diamondbacks know him well, and he hasn’t lost any velocity (and he doesn’t live and die with velocity anyway), but still. We are living in a very different era of MLB, when a mid-rotation, 37-year-old right-hander who throws 92 MPH and is coming off a bad second half can get $20M per year for multiple years. Good for him. Or good on the Diamondbacks for keeping and rewarding their guy.
The market continues to hum, but the Cubs have not yet left their mark.
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