Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Merrill Kelly

In getting Kelly, the Rangers gave up three solid prospects that included pitcher Kohl Drake, who could be pitching in Arizona in the near future. Trades are great when a team goes on to win, but with the Rangers missing the playoffs, the cost to get Kelly seems even higher.

The Rangers had the best pitching staff in all of baseball last year. And while Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, Jacob Latz, and Cody Bradford (missed 2025 with injury) will all be returning, they will be missing Tyler Mahle, Patrick Corbin, and even Jon Gray.

With the older guys on the front end of the rotation and the young depth backing that up, Kelly might be a perfect fit to stay in Texas. The two are familiar with each other, and there are worse places to play as a 37-year-old than the air conditioned confines of Globe Life Field.

Milwaukee Brewers

If there were a championship trophy given for the best team in the regular season, the Brewers would have taken the prize in 2025. Their 97-65 record was the best in baseball.

Much like the Rangers, the Brewers’ pitching was outstanding this past season. They allowed the third-fewest runs, only behind the Rangers and the Padres.

With ace Brandon Woodruff opting out of his contract and the Brewers declining their team option with Jose Quintana, there are going to be some innings that will need to be covered.

Freddy Peralta’s option has been picked up, and there are a ton of top young arms already at the big-league level, including Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, and Chad Patrick.

But what this Brewers’ team is missing is that veteran presence in the rotation. Someone who can take the ball every fifth day and pitch well into a game, but can also mentor the young guys and help mold them into the pitchers that they need to become.

Kelly would fit that role nicely and could easily slide into the middle of the Brewers’ rotation. The idea of going to a real contender would be exciting for Kelly as well.

San Diego Padres

Another team that had a good year and great pitching is the Padres. But the team’s rotation is going to look quite a bit different next season.

Nick Pivetta will be returning and will look to repeat his phenomenal year. Randy Vásquez and JP Sears will be back, and Joe Musgrove will be returning from Tommy John surgery at some point into the 2026 season.

That all sounds great, but the subtraction side of the equation is brutal. The Padres are losing both Dylan Cease and Michael King to free agency. Additionally, Yu Darvish will be missing the entire 2026 season after he recently underwent elbow surgery.

San Diego needs innings, and quality ones at that. Kelly would add another veteran to the mix, and someone who is dependable as well as very capable.

With a strong history within the NL West, Kelly could find himself back in that division, but donning brown pinstripes instead of Diamondback colors.

Houston Astros

There is a theme with the teams that are on this list up to this point. They have all had really good pitching in 2025, and were either in the playoffs or had a chance up until the last few weeks of the season.

Houston has a new ace, and his name is Hunter Brown. Brown is a finalist for the AL Cy Young award this year and looks to anchor the rotation for years to come.

But behind that, there is a very mixed bag of arms. There isn’t a ton of organiztional depth, and yet they kept putting guys out there last season that somehow got the job done.

The biggest loss for the Astros is coming with the free agency of Framber Valdez. This is a loss, but after the way things unfolded toward the end of the season, it is probably best that the two parties go their separate ways.

Luis Garcia is coming off back-to-back Tommy John surgeries, and Cristian Javier is coming off one of his own.

Kelly would be able to slot into the middle of the Astros’ rotation and would be the workhorse that they will be looking for. And even though they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Houston will be doing what it can to get back to the postseason before their winning window is fully closed.

Arizona Diamondbacks

There is something about playing for your hometown and in front of family and friends on a daily basis. Kelly went to high school in Arizona and later went to college there also.

After stalling out in the Tampa Bay minor-league system, the hurler took his arm and went to the KBO league, where he pitched for four years in his prime.

Making his major-league debut in his year-30 season for his hometown Arizona Diamondbacks was special. After being a steady arm for the club over nearly seven seasons, the team traded him to the Rangers this past year at the trade deadline.

There are other teams listed above that might have a better chance to make a playoff run, but the chance to get back to a familier place close to home might be extremely inticing for Kelly. With a limited salary outlay from Arizona expected, there could be more money on the table from other clubs. But ultimately Kelly could find his way back to the desert.

A reunion of Kelly and the Diamondbacks just makes sense. They know each other well, and the team is going to need some pitching.

Zac Gallen is a free agent, and Corbin Burnes is slated to be back at the All-Star break at the earliest as he returns from Tommy John surgery.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Arizona doesn’t use some of their quality prospect capital and makes a trade for a starter. But seeing Kelly put on a Diamondbacks jersey again and perhaps finish out his career there would still work and be so fitting.