Headlines

  • Cubs To Host 2027 All-Star Game
  • MLB Trade Tracker: July
  • Padres Acquire Mason Miller, JP Sears
  • Astros Acquire Carlos Correa
  • Rays, Twins Swap Griffin Jax For Taj Bradley
  • Padres Acquire Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rangers Acquire Merrill Kelly

By Anthony Franco | July 31, 2025 at 11:14pm CDT

The Rangers announced the acquisition of starting pitcher Merrill Kelly from the Diamondbacks for pitching prospects Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and David Hagaman. Texas designated first baseman Blaine Crim for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Kelly is the most significant of three deadline pickups for the Rangers. They also deepened their bullpen by adding Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe. The Rangers leaned even harder into their identity as a pitching and defense team after evidently being dissatisfied with the asking prices on top hitters.

The 36-year-old Kelly was arguably the best rental starter who changed hands. He has turned in a 3.22 earned run average through 128 2/3 innings. That comes with a solid 23.5% strikeout percentage and a league average 7.4% walk rate. Kelly doesn’t have massive swing-and-miss stuff, but he’s a plus command artist with a long track record of mid-rotation performance. This will his third sub-4.00 ERA season within the past four years. Last year’s 4.03 earned runs per nine is his worst mark since 2021.

That’s rock solid production that’ll make Kelly a high-end #3 starter in Texas. He’d slot behind Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi as the expected playoff rotation if the Rangers qualify. They have plenty of work to do in that regard — they’re currently tied with Seattle for the final AL Wild Card position — but opponents would have a very tough time scoring against them in October. Patrick Corbin and Jack Leiter figure to round out the starting five for the time being. That could push Kumar Rocker back to Triple-A.

Kelly is playing on a $7MM salary. It’s the final year of what turned out to be a very team-friendly extension that he signed with the Snakes early in the ’22 season. Texas is taking on roughly $2.22MM for the stretch run. They also added around $950K on Coulombe’s deal and picked up roughly $634K on Maton. The Rangers have wanted to stay underneath the $241MM base luxury tax threshold. RosterResource unofficially estimates them around $236M. The actual number is likely to be above that by season’s end as players trigger incentives, but it seems the Rangers at least stayed on the border of the threshold while making a trio of acquisitions on the pitching staff.

Arizona had already dealt Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor as they sold off most of their impending free agents. The biggest question on deadline day was whether they’d trade both Kelly and Zac Gallen. Ultimately, they only found what they considered a satisfactory offer on Kelly. Gallen will finish the season in the desert and quite likely receive and reject a qualifying offer. The D-Backs valued the compensatory draft pick they’d receive in that scenario more than whatever teams were willing to trade for Gallen, who has underperformed this season.

Kelly’s superior year allowed the Snakes to get a trio of minor league arms. They focused their trade returns on upper level young pitching. Drake, a 6’5″ left-hander, is the highest regarded of their new prospects. He placed fifth in the Texas system at MLB Pipeline and ninth at Baseball America. BA feels the former 11th-round pick projects as a multi-inning reliever, while Pipeline projects him as a back-end starter.

Drake has struggled over four Triple-A starts but turned in a 2.44 ERA through 12 appearances in Double-A. He sits around 93 MPH and has a four-pitch mix with advanced command. He’s 24 years old and will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He should debut at some point next year at the latest.

Bratt, 22, is a 6’1″ lefty who was selected out of high school in the 2021 draft. The Canadian southpaw has spent the whole season at Double-A Frisco. He has pitched to a 3.18 ERA with a plus 28.5% strikeout percentage and minuscule 4.3% walk rate in 18 appearances. Bratt placed ninth in the system at Pipeline and 14th at Baseball America. He’s a good athlete with above-average to plus command but fringe stuff that could make him a fifth starter. He’ll also need to go on the 40-man roster this offseason.

The 22-year-old Hagaman is a little further off. He was a fourth-round pick out of West Virginia last summer. He underwent Tommy John surgery last year and has been limited to eight professional appearances. Both BA and Pipeline ranked him in the middle third of the Rangers’ top 30 prospects. The 6’4″ righty has an impressive three-pitch arsenal but struggled with command in college. He could be a long-term reliever but will get a chance to develop as a starter.

Arizona’s player development staff now has a lot of young pitching talent with which to work. Most of those players could be on the MLB radar by next season. In the meantime, veteran righty Anthony DeSclafani will stretch out from long relief to take Kelly’s rotation spot (relayed by Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). He has a 3.86 ERA in 23 1/3 frames and should be a serviceable innings source so the D-Backs don’t need to press their younger arms into early action.

As for Crim, he’ll be placed on waivers in the next few days. The 28-year-old first baseman got a brief look earlier in the season when the Rangers optioned Jake Burger to Triple-A. He went 1-11 with a walk. Crim has a career .283/.374/.487 batting line in more than 1600 plate appearances at the top minor league level.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.5 first reported the Rangers were nearing a Kelly deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan confirmed there was an agreement in place. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Arizona was acquiring three prospects, including Drake and Hagaman. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was first on Bratt’s inclusion. Image courtesy of Charles Leclaire, Imagn Images.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email0

Arizona Diamondbacks Newsstand Texas Rangers Transactions Anthony DeSclafani Blaine Crim David Hagaman Kohl Drake Merrill Kelly Mitch Bratt Zac Gallen

Yankees Acquire David Bednar
Main
Padres Acquire Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano
View Comments (80)
Post a Comment

80 Comments

  1. GOBLUE37

    20 hours ago

    Wow. That’s actually really surprising. Wonder what the package looks like!

    2
    Reply
    • BRAD DOUGHERTY

      20 hours ago

      Probably a broken bat and a used pine tar rag

      1
      Reply
    • MeowMeow

      20 hours ago

      You’d need locker room access to know.

      10
      Reply
      • swanhenge

        20 hours ago

        You’re on fire Meow

        2
        Reply
      • sufferforsnakes

        18 hours ago

        Ewwww.

        Reply
        • MeowMeow

          18 hours ago

          Fine, more for me.

          1
          Reply
  2. Paleobros

    20 hours ago

    Wow

    Reply
    • DirtyDavis

      20 hours ago

      Think Rocker still holds a rotation spot?

      Reply
      • EvanCartersBack

        20 hours ago

        I suspect Mahle likely comes back to the pen. Likely rotation is:
        DeGrom
        Eovaldi
        Kelly
        Corbin
        Leiter

        Not sure about Rocker. They have options, until DeGrom caps out on innings.

        Reply
        • bwmiller79

          19 hours ago

          No cap on DeGrom, he’d have a big issue with being capped at age 37 in a Cy Young bid.

          Gray, Rocker and Mahle to the bullpen with that rotation, Burger loses 15 lbs and rakes like a craps table. Rangers are contenders.

          2
          Reply
        • justinkm19

          19 hours ago

          Mahle is not going to the pen.

          Reply
        • bwmiller79

          19 hours ago

          I doubt Corbin is, and Leiter certainly isn’t.

          Corbin has been great all season.

          Reply
        • carlos15

          19 hours ago

          Innings caps also don’t work. Inning restrictions haven’t resulted in less injuries.

          Reply
  3. TAKERDBACKS

    20 hours ago

    my dbacks need to also unload gallen makes no sense to keep him. Kelly eovaldi degrom if healthy are insane!

    1
    Reply
    • desertdawg

      20 hours ago

      Gallen is going to be a little harder and I don’t see a great return on him just because of the season he is having. DBacks may just hang on to him and get a pick for him at the next draft.

      1
      Reply
    • cwsOverhaul

      20 hours ago

      That indeed is a tough G1-3 in reverse order if healthy and they make it.

      Reply
  4. 30 Parks

    20 hours ago

    Someone needs to wake up Breslow.

    2
    Reply
    • Joemo

      20 hours ago

      He’s an absolute joke at the deadline. I give him credit for some of the off-season moves but man his deadline moves leave a lot to be desired. Now there’s still time, but man…

      3
      Reply
      • Balk

        20 hours ago

        There’s always Posey to complain about lol

        Reply
      • DirtyWater04

        20 hours ago

        There’s about 20 minutes, if anything was imminent we likely would’ve heard about it by now.

        Reply
      • AI GM

        20 hours ago

        Breslow ain’t giving up on Ryan!

        Reply
        • Joemo

          20 hours ago

          Don’t worry. They’re interested in Ryan, and that’s as far as it’ll go.

          Instead they got Dustin may…. For some reason.

          1
          Reply
        • DirtyWater04

          19 hours ago

          Maybe they’ve discovered some radical new medical procedure that will allow them to take parts of Walker Buehler and Dustin May and Steven Matz and fuse them together into one good pitcher.

          3
          Reply
    • Mitchy2bags

      20 hours ago

      Probably looking at the usual narrative that Campbell is the 1B bat we need and Harrison is the SP we need. Wish they actually made some moves for a team with solid potential.

      2
      Reply
    • DirtyWater04

      20 hours ago

      Seriously, is this mf napping or something? Every single other team in the mix is loading up, and we get Steven Matz and decide to call it a day? Absolutely pathetic.

      3
      Reply
      • Mitchy2bags

        20 hours ago

        Supposedly the SOX are making a late push for Joe Ryan.

        Reply
        • DirtyWater04

          20 hours ago

          Sure, just like they were for Merrill Kelly. It’ll be the same old story about how “interested” they were, but ultimately unable to find “alignment.”

          1
          Reply
        • 30 Parks

          20 hours ago

          … maybe Dustin May?

          Reply
  5. Lou Sassoll

    20 hours ago

    SD and Texas are the clear winners of the trade deadline.

    2
    Reply
    • King. Of. Cards

      20 hours ago

      I think the Padres won the deadline so far but they gutted their system to do it.

      4
      Reply
      • Lou Sassoll

        20 hours ago

        I feel like they gut the system every couple years and somehow always have a great farm system. They are just a really well run team.

        Reply
        • King. Of. Cards

          20 hours ago

          They are not a well run team. The last few years they increased payroll and decided to sell the farm for a chance to win now. It makes sense, especially because the Padres have never won a championship, but that doesnt make them a well run team.

          1
          Reply
        • Veejh

          20 hours ago

          Please. Amazing draft after amazing draft. Always loaded with top 100s even tho Preller trades like a maniac.

          1
          Reply
        • King. Of. Cards

          20 hours ago

          They aren’t loaded with top 100s anymore.

          1
          Reply
        • DirtyWater04

          20 hours ago

          His point is that they will be again in about 2 years. Most organizations would take at least 5 years to rebuild that type of prospect capital.

          1
          Reply
        • King. Of. Cards

          20 hours ago

          And if the Padres just kept their prospects instead of trading them away think of where they could be.

          Thats my point……

          1
          Reply
        • Lou Sassoll

          20 hours ago

          How many of them have panned out?

          Reply
        • King. Of. Cards

          20 hours ago

          I bet DeVries ends up being pretty good.

          James Wood
          McKenzie Gore

          Reply
        • Justafan

          19 hours ago

          You may not know this but Seidler was dying and wanted to bring home a championship before he passed away.

          They spent a ton in the last couple years and gutted their farm not because they aren’t a well run team, but because he wanted to give the Padres fans a chance to see a ring before he died.

          Seidler is royalty here in San Diego (as he should be). I met his wife and watched a spring training game with her and Mike schlidt’s wife. Both are top notch people

          Also Seidler had to buy the other owners shares in order to be willing to spend. San Diego fans will probably never have a better owner. RIP

          2
          Reply
        • King. Of. Cards

          19 hours ago

          I do know that

          He’s now dead. And they are still doing the same thing.

          So what are you talking about?

          Reply
      • AI GM

        20 hours ago

        Yankees Bednar and hitters did well. Seattle 2 big bats and reliever. Philly Bader elite closer Duran. I can’t even remember all the moves as they came fast and furious. No time to digest. Mets boosted bullpen. Lot of teams really want to win

        Reply
        • Lou Sassoll

          20 hours ago

          True. Must be nice.

          Reply
  6. King. Of. Cards

    20 hours ago

    Not really the team that needed him the most. You dont really need 4 stud starters in October.

    1
    Reply
    • rdk

      16 hours ago

      You typically use 4 starters in the playoffs, right? He’ll be #3 for Texas.

      1
      Reply
      • King. Of. Cards

        13 hours ago

        You barely need 4. And who is he ahead of Mahle or Eovaldi?

        Reply
  7. kidnova

    20 hours ago

    I wonder if this is a sign that the Rangers are about to move Gray to save money and pickup another bullpen piece.

    2
    Reply
  8. Kenny22

    20 hours ago

    Wake Up Jed, you’re losing the deadline

    1
    Reply
  9. Blue Baron

    20 hours ago

    John “Gambo” Gambadoro!

    1
    Reply
  10. MeowMeow

    20 hours ago

    Somebody please go wake up Craig Breslow

    2
    Reply
  11. Duffy S. Cliff

    20 hours ago

    Come on, Breslow, it’s your move…

    1
    Reply
  12. t0bIe1CaN0bI

    20 hours ago

    So Rangers are now the 2024 Mariners. All pitch, no hit.

    Reply
    • Hp

      20 hours ago

      They’ve been doing fine lately. As long as Joc and/or Burger aren’t in the lineup

      2
      Reply
      • t0bIe1CaN0bI

        20 hours ago

        From the upgrades Hou and Sea made, this signing is a waste. He should have gone to an actual contender. Tex only shot is going to be a wild card against either Bos, NY, Tor, Sea or Hou.

        Reply
        • kidnova

          20 hours ago

          Still have to play the games. Nothing is decided at the TDL.

          Reply
        • rdk

          16 hours ago

          If they end up playing Bos, NY, Tor, Sea, Hou in a shortened series, they have deGrom, Eovaldi, Kelly going in games 1-3 now.

          1
          Reply
        • t0bIe1CaN0bI

          16 hours ago

          That’s my point. Detroit had a chance to get someone to remedy that and they didn’t.

          Reply
  13. Angels & NL West

    20 hours ago

    Hate to see Merrill leave. He is the one guy that may re-sign with the Dbacks in the off-season. Went to HS in Phoenix. Also played at Yavapai College and ASU.

    3
    Reply
    • Joe It All

      20 hours ago

      I love seeing a guy being able to spend his career where he is from. The Cincinnati Bengals old punter Kevin Huber went to a Cincinnati area high school McNicholas and then to the University of Cincinnati and played his whole career with the Bengals. He never had to leave home once from youth football to the NFL.

      1
      Reply
      • AI GM

        20 hours ago

        He can come back in 3 months

        2
        Reply
        • rdk

          16 hours ago

          He very well could, and that would be my second favorite scenario. Favorite would be that he really likes pitching next to deGrom and Eovaldi with a really good defense behind him. I wanted Kelly this offseason already, now I want him to do well and stay even more

          1
          Reply
  14. Rsox

    20 hours ago

    The guy i hoped the Sox would get. Maybe Gallen or Alcantara now, probably no one as Breslow already added Alcala, Harrison, Hicks, and Matz.

    Good pickup for the Rangers. The AL West has gotten very interesting today

    1
    Reply
  15. desertdawg

    20 hours ago

    Heard they are getting 3 pitching prospects back from the Rangers for Merrill Kelly

    2
    Reply
    • sufferforsnakes

      18 hours ago

      Not a bad looking return. It will look even better if Merrill re-signs with us.

      4
      Reply
  16. swanhenge

    20 hours ago

    Brelsow’s like “What? We got Jordan Hicks!”

    Reply
  17. griffind

    20 hours ago

    NGL as a dbacks fan this one hurts the most. Kelly is as steady as they come and a great guy.

    5
    Reply
  18. AI GM

    20 hours ago

    A for Arizona. Probably more a B but that doesn’t have same ring. 2 starter prospects. Pen risk sure but legit starter chance.

    C Texas. What it cost. Can afford to lose and replace.

    Reply
    • rdk

      16 hours ago

      Not sure that I see how this is a C for Texas. Care to expand?

      1
      Reply
      • AI GM

        16 hours ago

        They gave up fair market value. No more no less.

        Reply
  19. tsc32

    20 hours ago

    Sad we’re giving up Kohl Drake

    Reply
    • Okie_baseball

      19 hours ago

      I’m a little bummed. He’s more a command over stuff kind of guy, probably backend starter at best. The Rangers don’t have a good track record of finishing starters, sometimes trade bait is the best they will get.

      Reply
      • Guyerbassist

        19 hours ago

        3 pitchers for one, when it likely doesn’t matter… Ask cle how all pitching and no offense works in the playoffs… Yes we have a better offense than that, but everyone else also got better so it’s like a push

        1
        Reply
    • rdk

      16 hours ago

      Prospects are fun, but Texas likely trade a possible back end rotation guy and a couple low leverage relievers. Could change, but could also be none of them do anything in the majors. We’ll see.

      Reply
  20. Sparky1000

    18 hours ago

    Wonder how much he has left in his tank?

    Reply
  21. YankeesBleacherCreature

    18 hours ago

    Rangers with the buzzer beater.

    2
    Reply
  22. kidnova

    17 hours ago

    It’s surprising that Crim hasn’t gotten more of a chance at the MLB level. He’s absolutely mashed at all levels in college and the minors. Maybe he’s just a AAAA player, but I would have though the Rangers could have given him a longer trial period given they need a right handed bat.

    1
    Reply
    • rdk

      16 hours ago

      This is the weird thing. I think I’m more upset about Crim than any of the 3 players we included in the trade.

      Reply
  23. Midinfieldlifer

    17 hours ago

    Solid pitcher but geez that was a steep price to pay

    Reply
    • HBan22

      15 hours ago

      It really wasn’t that steep. Drake and Bratt profile as back of the rotation starters and Hagaman is a bit of a wildcard at this point. The Red Sox could have and should have beaten this offer.

      Reply
      • Midinfieldlifer

        11 hours ago

        I guess it was! Kelly is a free agent at seasons end. Unless im mistaken, those picks were top 10s in their system

        Reply
  24. padam

    59 seconds ago

    He’s the arm I had thought the Mets should’ve gone after. Not an ace, but a more than solid three that won’t be on the books after the year and would certainly give them enough padding to make it to the playoffs. Manaea, Senga, Peterson, and Kelly would be a nice playoff staff. Holmes seems to be wearing down and Montas is useless.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Cubs To Host 2027 All-Star Game

    MLB Trade Tracker: July

    Padres Acquire Mason Miller, JP Sears

    Astros Acquire Carlos Correa

    Rays, Twins Swap Griffin Jax For Taj Bradley

    Padres Acquire Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano

    Rangers Acquire Merrill Kelly

    Yankees Acquire David Bednar

    Blue Jays Acquire Shane Bieber

    Mets Acquire Cedric Mullins

    Padres Acquire Nestor Cortes

    Last Day To Lock In Savings On Trade Rumors Front Office

    Cubs Acquire Willi Castro

    Tigers Acquire Charlie Morton

    Yankees Acquire Camilo Doval

    Royals Acquire Mike Yastrzemski

    Cubs Designate Ryan Pressly For Assignment

    Blue Jays Acquire Louis Varland, Ty France

    Rangers Acquire Phil Maton

    Astros Acquire Jesús Sánchez

    Recent

    Cubs To Host 2027 All-Star Game

    Orioles Select Jordyn Adams, Terrin Vavra

    Elias: Elbow Debridement Surgery “On The Table” For Grayson Rodriguez

    Marlins To Select Jakob Marsee

    The Opener: Deadline Fallout, Chourio, Aranda

    MLB Trade Tracker: July

    Padres Acquire Mason Miller, JP Sears

    Astros Acquire Carlos Correa

    Rays, Twins Swap Griffin Jax For Taj Bradley

    Padres Acquire Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Every MLB Trade In July
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version