MLB Mock Trade: Chicago Cubs Land Merrill Kelly From Diamondbacks

When the Chicago Cubs are good, it’s weird.

Traditionally speaking, come the All-Star break, MLB pundits and Cubs fans alike are doling out blame for another sub-.500 first half. Or maybe they’re watching in horror as the Cardinals or the Brewers awaken from their early-summer slumber and obliterate Chicago’s 1.5-game NL Central lead. Or maybe they’re already discussing potential managerial replacements, or mapping out some utterly unrealistic off-season trade scenarios, or praying there’s some phenom on the Knoxville Smokies who can make the team relevant two or three years down the line.

But not this All-Star break.

No, here in the summer of 2025, the North Siders barrel into the second half with a 57-39 record (.594), tied with the 2016 Cubs for the most wins in modern franchise history after 96 games.

If you’ll recall, the 2016 Cubs won the World Series. So there’s that.

Start Me Up

You’d think Cubs Nation would be flying high—the offense is humming, the fielding is solid, the bullpen is reliable, and Wrigley Field is a non-stop party. But Windy City baseball fans have had their heart broken so so so many times that they’ll never really fly high until the trophy is safely parked on the North Side.

Now Cubs Nation ain’t stupid, and they’re well aware that their starting rotation needs some oomph to get the team safely across the finish line. After all:

Ace Justin Steele was lost for the year (UCL surgery) after just four starts, three of which he won.

Near-ace Shota Imanaga missed six weeks with a hammy.

Jameson Talion strained his calf at the beginning of the month, of which manager Craig Counsell sighed, “He’s going to miss a pretty significant amount of time. More than a month.”

Ben Brown lost his spot in the rotation, then was sent down to Triple-A.

So heading into the dog days, we’re looking at a starting staff of Matthew Boyd, Imanaga, Colin Rea, maybe Cade Horton, then whoever Counsell feels like trotting out on any given fifth day. Not exactly the 1998 Braves.

All of which means Cubbies GM Carter Hawkins needs to pick up the phone, and dial up Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen, and be all like, “Dude, whaddya think of this?…”

Chicago Cubs receive

P Merrill Kelly

Arizona Diamondbacks Receive

RHP Ryan Gallagher (#17 prospect)

IF Yahil Melendez (#24 prospect)

Back(s) To the Future

Breaking news: The 2025 Diamondbacks’ are toast.

As of this writing, they sport a record of 47-50 and sit second from the bottom of the NL West, 11 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. And a Wild Card berth is all but a pipe dream, as they trail six teams who are well above the .500 mark.

So what’s the point of holding on to the 36-year-old Kelly, who’ll be headed towards unrestricted free agency after the season? No point at all—especially when you can bring back a couple of solid, if not spectacular prospects in return.

The 22-year-old Gallagher has made some noise with the High-A South Bend Cubs this summer, posting a 3.72 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP, to go with 85 strikeouts in 72 innings.

At 19, Melendez—who’s admittedly had a less-than-awesome season with the Single-A Myrtle Beach Penguins—will need some more marinating (and a few hundred trips to the weight room), but he has shown flashes.

Not a bad haul for a guy who won't even be on the roster in 2026.

Steady Rotation

This summer, Kelly has been his reliable self, managing eight wins for a meh ‘Backs team, while putting up a 3.34 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 111 Ks as opposed to a stingy 33 walks.

In Chicago, Kelly would be temporarily slotted in as the third man in the rotation; when Talion returns, he’d become the ideal fourth starter, a guy who could win, say, seven of his final ten games.

And those seven wins could mean the difference between the Chicago Cubs having an early-November shot at a ring or taking a late-October trip to Cancun.

Start Me Up

Chicago Cubs receive

Arizona Diamondbacks Receive

Back(s) To the Future

Steady Rotation

More From Fantasy Sports On SI