The Diamondbacks have exercised their $4.25MM club option on right-hander Merrill Kelly for the 2021 season, as per a team press release. Kelly and fellow right-handers Corbin Martin and Jeremy Beasley were all reinstated from the injured list and placed on Arizona’s 40-man roster, bringing the team’s total to 38 of 40 players.
Kelly’s original two-year, $5.5MM contract with the D’Backs contained club options for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, with this year’s option containing a $500K buyout and the $5.25MM option for 2022 containing no buyout. The Snakes therefore had a $3.75MM choice to make on Kelly, which wasn’t necessarily a sure thing given how we’ve already seen several notable players cut loose on option decisions in this young offseason, and Kelly is a health question mark going into 2021.
After posting a 2.59 ERA, 5.80 K/BB rate, and 8.3 K/9 over 31 1/3 innings this season, Kelly’s strong start was cut short after he required surgery to address a blood clot in his shoulder. A couple of weeks after that procedure, Kelly then underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. While Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen was optimistic that Kelly would be ready to go for Spring Training, past cases of TOS procedures have had varying timelines. And, of even more concern to Kelly and the D’Backs, several pitchers who have undergone thoracic outlet syndrome surgeries were unable to regain their past form on the mound.
Still, there was obviously enough comfort on the front office’s part to take the $3.75MM risk that Kelly will be recovered enough to contribute. The D’Backs are facing a likely reduction in payroll as a response to lower revenues, but in a vacuum, $3.75MM is a very reasonable price for a pitcher who has shown that he can be a solid member of a rotation.
Originally an eighth-round pick for the Rays in the 2010 draft, Kelly spent five years in the minors before heading to South Korea to pitch with SK Wyverns of the KBO League. He posted impressive numbers and established himself as a workhorse starter, doing well enough to land that multi-year contract from Arizona upon his return to North American baseball. Kelly acquitted himself well in his first taste of the big leagues, with a 4.42 ERA, 2.77 K/BB rate, and 7.8 K/9 over 183 1/3 innings for the D’Backs in 2019.
I thought Merrill Kelly has been good these past years
Which is what the article says and why they picked up his option.
Bumgarner, Gallen, Kelly…not a bad top three although MadBum needs to show some form of resurgence.
yeah i mean when healthy. Gallen is the only one of the three you can feel same about there
3 pitchers coming off a season-ending injury, will they bounce pack and stay healthy? I dought it, I would guess 1 does and 2 doesn’t have a good year in 2021.
I’m not sure what team you were watching. Kelly is the only one of those 3 who had a season ending injury. MadBum was hurt early but he started the last game of the year for AZ. Gallen didn’t miss any starts all year.
Thats not good at all. Bumgarners tank is empty. Gallen is the only good player listed.
I’m slightly surprised with all the options getting declined that they picked this up when he’s coming on thoracic outlet surgery.
$4.25M for a solid mid-rotation starter could be a steal but I think the odds of someone coming back from that procedure are pretty slim. I feel like it’s ended a lot of careers. Who knows though, maybe he’ll be one of the few success stories.
Correct me if I’m wrong but no pitcher has ever come back from thoracic outlet surgery and been even league average.
Chris Young was above average, and then age caught up to him, but success stories are few and far between.
Yeah Chris Young is a good example. Alex Cobb, Aaron Cook and Clayton Richards are a few more.
A lot of guys make it back to the mound, there is just usually a decrease in their performance/mediocre numbers so they don’t last much longer in the league.