Jorge CastilloDec 14, 2025, 10:00 AM ETCloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024. Follow on XEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFree agent right-hander Merrill Kelly, after being dealt by the Diamondbacks to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline last season, is returning to Arizona on a two-year, $40 million deal, a source confirmed to ESPN amid multiple media reports. He'll slot back into the top of the Diamondbacks' rotation, which last week added free agent right-hander Michael Soroka on a one-year, $7.5 million deal for depth. Right-handers Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez round out the projected group. Kelly, 37, previously spent six-plus seasons with the Diamondbacks, joining the club after four seasons in South Korea that resurrected a career that had stalled in Triple-A.