Rangers Free Agent Pitcher Predicted to Sign with Familiar Franchise

One Texas Rangers free agent starting pitcher is predicted to return to his former team this winter.

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Needing pitching at the trade deadline in July, the Texas Rangers swung a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-hander Merrill Kelly. He helped to keep the Rangers in the hunt for an American League Wild Card spot despite all of their injuries before they faded down the stretch to finish at 81-81.

This offseason, Texas has some free agents that they need to make decisions on, including Kelly, who came over from the Diamondbacks on an expiring contract. After coming over from Arizona, Kelly went 3-3 in 10 starts with a 4.23 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched.

While a return to Texas would be nice, it's unlikely to happen. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report took an educated guess on some early 2025 offseason signings, and he has Kelly landing at a familiar spot with Arizona.

Merrill Kelly Predicted to Return to Diamondbacks This Offseason

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Like every other team this winter, the Diamondbacks need pitching, and reuniting with Kelly makes sense after his career broke out there.

"The Diamondbacks need pitching, and they obviously have more familiarity with Kelly than any other team. He's also an Arizona man, as he played high school ball in Scottsdale and college ball in Prescott and Tempe long before he made his way to Phoenix to pitch for the D-backs,'' wrote Rymer.

His prediction was that Kelly would sign a two-year deal worth $28 million, which would be a raise over the two-year, $16 million deal he signed with Arizona before the 2024 season.

This past season between the Diamondbacks and Rangers, Kelly went 12-9 with a 3.52 ERA in 184 innings pitched with 167 strikeouts to 48 walks. He was 3-3 with Texas in 10 starts with a 4.23 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched. The numbers may be deceiving, but one stat from Rymer shows how good Kelly was.

"It's fair to say both that chance and especially the extension Kelly signed in 2022 panned out. Save for an injury-shortened 2024 season, he's been one of the league's most consistent starters over the last four years,'' Rymer explained.

"As an example, Kelly was one of only 13 pitchers to toss over 180 innings with an ERA below 3.60 this season. He beat out Luis Castillo and Kevin Gausman, both of whom are on nine-figure deals, in the latter department."

That's impressive with some of the top pitchers in the majors. Gausman was so good that he anchored a Toronto Blue Jays rotation to the World Series before falling in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Castillo has been one of the league's most consistent pitchers during his career.

Texas will likely have to turn its attention elsewhere in free agency for starting pitching. They could swing big for Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres or Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros. There are other options, but whether through a trade or free agency, the Rangers need to add to their rotation if they are going to be in the hunt for a playoff berth in 2026.

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