Padres Linked to $18 Million Pitcher From NL West Rival in Trade Deadline Move

The San Diego Padres are sitting at 52-44 to close out the first half of the season. At the second place spot in the NL West, and owners of the third and final Wild Card spot, the Friars are far from satisfied with the current state of their roster.

San Diego is rumored to make some noise ahead of this trade deadline, and with a pitching staff that holds the sixth-lowest ERA in the majors, the Padres have been linked to a solid option to bolster the rotation.

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Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly is on the final year of a two-year, $18 million deal, and will be a free agent in 2026.

At 36 years old, Kelly is still showing his immense value through a 3.34 ERA across 116 innings. The right-hander has tossed 113 strikeouts to just 22 walks to close out the first half of the season and has a bWAR of 2.9.

In terms of a return, it is likely that Kelly won't break the bank or empty the farm given his lack of team control on his contract and age, but his above average production definitely won't have the Diamondbacks letting him go for peanuts.

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Kelly has some of the best value in baseball with his off-speed pitches, allowing a batting average of just .181 with his changeup, a pitch that he uses the most in his arsenal and generates his most strikeouts (45). His swing-and-miss rate on the changeup is at 35.1 on this offering, also the best in his arsenal.

Another feared pitch in Kelly's repertoire is his cutter, with a batting average of just .129 against it.
When hitters do get a hold of it, it has an exit velocity off the bat of just 87.4 mph.

His slider proves just as lethal, although used just 6.5 percent of the time and only against right-handed batters, his .125 batting average against it and average exit velocity of 85.8 prove that not all pitchers need to have upper 90s fastball range to still be dependable hurlers.

Perhaps that is how Kelly has been around professionally since 2010, and a mix of being healthy and determined enough to finally make it to MLB almost a decade later, debuting in 2019 as a 30-year-old.

Regardless of why Kelly has been so productive this season, he can prove to be the missing piece to help get the Padres where they need to be for the most important stretch of the season.

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