Aug 24, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (23) comes off the field after he pitches against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Rangers Starter Listed Among Most Impactful MLB Trade Deadline Moves

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI | By Kyle Morton | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Texas Rangers have gotten some rotten luck with the health of their pitchers this season. Even as Jacob deGrom has managed to stay healthy, Nathan Eovaldi has had the best season of his career cut short, and Tyler Mahle has been out since June.

In spite of this, the team has continued to perform fairly well on the mound, with young starter Jack Leiter getting better as the year has gone on and as more of his rotation mates have hit the injured list. Patrick Corbin's early-season success has given way to some struggles, but he righted the ship in his last start with eight shutout innings.

The Rangers' front office had the foresight to make a move in July at the trade deadline, acquiring veteran right-handed starting pitcher Merrill Kelly from the Arizona Diamondbacks to add another quality arm with playoff experience to the mix that already had a good bit of that on hand.

Rangers' Merrill Kelly Has Been Outstanding Trade Deadline Acquisition

With a month of time having elapsed since the July 31 MLB trade deadline, MLB.com analyst Brian Murphy ranked his top eight players who changed teams that have made a big impact for their new club.

"Kelly hasn't been otherworldly for the Rangers; he has a 3.10 ERA and a 4.50 FIP over 29 2/3 innings and five starts for Texas," Murphy wrote. "But his value to the club can't be overstated in the wake of Nathan Eovaldi's likely season-ending injury and after Texas had to give Jacob deGrom a bit of a break as he dealt with shoulder fatigue."

Kelly took the ball once again on Saturday night and delivered another quality outing, earning the win and allowing three earned runs in 6.1 innings of work as Texas defeated the Athletics 9-3 for another crucial victory in the standings as the calendar turns to September.

The win was the Rangers' fourth in a row and gave them a record of 8-2 in their most recent 10 games. It also got them just 2.5 games back of the third and final wild card spot in the American League, one currently held by their division rival Seattle Mariners.

The Eovaldi injury was seen as something of a death knell for Texas' dwindling postseason hopes, but the team has continued to find its footing at the right time, and Kelly's consistency has been a significant contributing factor. His ERA is down to 3.24 for the season, one that started with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Kelly.

The absence of Eovaldi makes it hard to conceptualize a 2023-esque run for this year's iteration of the Rangers, but it's undeniable that the club is getting hot when it matters most, and a playoff rotation of deGrom, Mahle, Kelly and Leiter could be good enough to put together a great month.

This article first appeared on Texas Rangers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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