Arizona Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly (29) pitches against the Padres at Chase Field on April 8, 2022. Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Astros Could Find Reliable Rotation Answer by Trading for Merrill Kelly

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Maddy Dickens | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 2:30 PM ET

The Houston Astros have a few top starters in their rotation in both Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, but they are looking for some depth as their consistency quickly falls after these two.

Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN continually update their Top 50 candidates for the trade deadline, which is Thursday.

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Merrill Kelly, who pitches for the Arizona Diamondbacks, was ranked 10th on the list, but the fourth-highest ranked starting pitcher.

However, those ahead of him have an increasingly low chance of actually being traded, where McDaniel and Passan believe there's an 80% shot Merrill goes somewhere else.

Kelly is 9-6 on the season in 22 starts posting a 3.22 ERA. He has struck out 121 batters, while walking 38, even though he has the second-lowest average velocity in baseball this year (92.1mph).

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The 36-year-old has spent his entire major league career with the Diamondbacks which started back in 2019. He was a vital part to their National League pennant run in 2023.

Mr. Reliable finished 24 innings in that postseason run, which eventually ended in a 4-1 series loss in the World Series against the Texas Rangers. Kelly struck out 28 and posted a 2.25 ERA.

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Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are three starters that sit in the top four of the trade candidates list, but none are given much of a chance of being dealt. The highest of those pitchers is Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres, who is given a 15% shot of changing ball clubs. Insiders don't show him as a good fit for Houston.

Both MacKenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals and Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins could fit well for the rotation to add reliability and some depth. But, the insiders only show a 10% chance of either being traded.

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Besides Brown and Valdez there are only three others in the Astros rotation with double-digit starts. The three average an ERA of 5.61 compared to Brown and Valdez's 2.58.

McDaniel and Passan show that the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and the Boston Red Sox are all good landing spots for the veteran and if the Astros want him they will have to get aggressive.

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This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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