Jim Bowden has gone around the league making phone calls and doing everything he can to see what names keep coming up as trade candidates. For his upcoming anonymous article with The Athletic, he’s looking to nail the trades again, similar to what he did last season. Throughout everyone he contacted, Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly’s name kept coming up.
Jim Bowden Believes Merrill Kelly Will Have a New Home by the End of the Month
The Arizona Diamondbacks were in the news recently as they banned a fan who has been ejected numerous times, but they might remain in the news for much longer. With a 7-4 record, Kelly has been with the D-Backs since he broke into the league in 2019. His 3.49 record is in step with his strong 2022 and 2023 seasons, rebounding after an injury-plagued 2024 campaign.
Multiple front office executives have told @JimBowdenGM they believe Merrill Kelly will get dealt at the trade deadline. 👀 pic.twitter.com/9y8Fn4jU7b
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 30, 2025
“It was interesting in terms of Merrill Kelly, his name has been mentioned quite a bit,” Bowden said. “I think there’s a lot of executives that believe that when Arizona gets to the end of the month, they’ll be dealing him.”
Bowden immediately followed up Kelly’s name by pointing out the Toronto Blue Jays, who are in desperate need of a starting pitcher. Knowing that the Blue Jays have now passed the Tampa Bay Rays for second place in the AL East, the team sits just one game behind the New York Yankees. For Toronto, a Kelly-type acquisition could be all it needs to take the next step.
Trading Kelly doesn’t necessarily mean the D-Backs are waving the white flag, but their chances in the NL West don’t look too good without him. The Los Angeles Dodgers are hot again, while the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants continue to compete for the Wild Card. Even with the Giants’ acquisition of Rafael Devers, they’ve won only three of their last 10 as they’re just 1.5 games ahead of the D-Backs.
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Kelly finished both 2022 and 2023 with eight losses, a pace that he’s set to match this season. He’s already struck out 100 batters as he looks to surpass the 187 mark he set back in 2023. A trade to the Blue Jays would slightly increase his chances of winning a World Series, especially if Arizona sells at the deadline.
June saw five starts from Kelly where he went 2-2. He gave up nine earned runs, with seven of those coming in the two games where he recorded the loss. His month began with a pair of fantastic starts against the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners where he threw 13 innings, striking out 15 and giving up just three walks and five hits without allowing a run.