Trade rumors are heating up before the trade deadline on July 31 at 6 p.m. ET. Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly is a name considered by many teams interested in acquiring the starter. Multiple front office executives believe Kelly will be dealt before the deadline, as reported by Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
Numerous teams are looking for a starter to bolster their starting rotation as they compete for a spot in the playoffs. Injuries and poor performance in the first half of the season could mean Kelly could be on the move to a potential playoff team before the deadline.
Teams Vying for a Playoff Spot Are Looking for an Arm for Their Rotation
Kelly has never been an All-Star nor received a Cy Young vote, but he is a solid starter. He came over from the KBO in 2019 at the age of 30 and has posted solid statistics in his seven-year career. He has an ERA of 3.79 in that time with a record of 60-48. Kelly led the league in starts in 2022 with 33 and currently leads the league with 17 in 2025. He is a dependable arm that teams can count on down the stretch.
Multiple front office executives have told @JimBowdenGM they believe Merrill Kelly will get dealt at the trade deadline. đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/9y8Fn4jU7b
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 30, 2025
The Diamondbacks are on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. They are 41-42 this season and sit 11 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. They are also five games back in the wild-card race in the National League. Arizona could be sellers as the trade deadline nears, and its best starter could fetch a big package in return.
Kelly has a record of 7-4 this season with a 3.49 ERA. He has a 1.07 WHIP and has walked 26 batters this season. He has a 2.0 bWAR and has only allowed 38 earned runs in 98 innings pitched. He is having one of his best seasons as a top-of-the-rotation starter for Arizona.
Kelly will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and will turn 37 in October. He signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Diamondbacks before the 2023 season. He is on the payroll for $7 million this season and would be an excellent arm for hire for any team looking to land him before the deadline.
The New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals top the list of teams interested in the starter before the deadline. They are both in the thick of the wild-card race and could use another solid arm in their rotation as they deal with injuries and performance issues.
The Cardinals have two starters with an ERA under 4.00 this season: Sonny Gray and Matthew Liberatore. They could use an arm like Kelly to give them a solid chance of earning a wild-card spot. They currently have a one-game lead over the Padres for the last wild-card spot in the National League.
The Mets have dealt with multiple injuries recently despite having one of the best pitching staffs in baseball for the first couple of months of the season. Their ace, Kodai Senga, landed on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring injury. Sean Manaea was placed on the 60-day IL with an oblique injury and has not pitched this season. Griffin Canning has a ruptured left Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season.
Kelly would provide them a much-needed arm to bolster their rotation as they currently hold the top wild-card spot.