Diamondbacks add intriguing name to rotation mix

While not the most conventional name available on the market, Merrill Kelly, a star in the Korean Baseball Organization, is now joining the Diamondbacks, according to a report.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to sign right-handed pitcher Merrill Kelly to a two-year, $5.5 million deal. Passan also notes that the deal comes with two team options, a $4.25 million option for 2020 (with a $500,000 buyout) and a $5.25 option for 2022 with no buyout. The official D-Backs transactions page reflected Passan’s report soon after it was released.

Passan also adds that interestingly enough, the interest in him “was significant”. While it’s unknown whether this interest came from other major league teams or clubs within the KBO, it’s an interesting piece of information with regards to his somewhat puzzling signing.

At first glance, Kelly, who is 30 and has never pitched at the major league level, might be a shocking recipient on this two-year major league deal. Despite his inexperience though, he could be very valuable to Arizona going forward.

Kelly, who formerly was a minor-leaguer in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, took his talents to Korea, where he pitched three seasons for the SK Wyverns, logging a total of 527.1 innings while racking up 379 strikeouts. Since the KBO has been noted as being a relatively hitter-friendly league, those numbers are quite impressive. He played in the KBO for four seasons.

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In 2017, he pitched to a solid 3.60 ERA in 190.0 innings, boasting a WHIP of 1.311 and starting thirty games, winning 16 of them. In 2016, he pitched to a similar 3.68 ERA in 200.1 innings, starting 31 games and picking up nine wins.

In the MiLB, he reached as high as Triple-A when he pitched a stellar 114.0 innings fore the Durham Bulls of the International League, putting up an ERA of 2.76 in 114.0 innings, smashing his previous career high in ERA for a full season of professional baseball.

For the Diamondbacks, Kelly, a proven arm of interest, could provide some stability in a rotation that has been starved of consistent innings over the past few seasons. While it’s far from a sure thing that Kelly, who has never thrown an inning in the majors, will be effective, his salary isn’t huge to the point where it warrants a significant worry.

Regardless, it’ll clearly come down to whether or not Kelly is able to perform when he steps on a major league mound. While the Diamondbacks expect, per Passan, to have him join their rotation come April, it’ll likely largely depend on his performance in Spring Training. We’ll just have to wait and see.