The end of the trade deadline on Thursday saw the Arizona Diamondbacks trade away starting pitcher Merrill Kelly to their 2023 World Series foe, the Texas Rangers.
The Texas native will be in a new jersey for the first time in his MLB career after spending over six seasons with the Diamondbacks.
The D-backs received more young pitching prospects in return: Kohl Drake, David Hagaman and Mitch Bratt.
Arizona Diamondbacks received high grades for Merrill Kelly
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield believe that Kelly will fit right in with the Rangers while they gave Drake hope to be a standout for the Diamondbacks.
Rangers grade: B-
Kelly will bump one of the Rangers’ young starters — Kumar Rocker or Jack Leiter — from the core-five rotation, with Rocker the most likely choice and a candidate to become, for now, a leverage reliever. If Tyler Mahle can make it back from a rotator cuff issue, they’ll both get bumped. But this is a good problem to have for a team trying to keep pace in a clustered AL wild-card chase, and an AL West race that remains up for grabs.
Diamondbacks grade: B+
Drake is the standout here, a 6-5 lefty with good stuff, a deep arsenal and above-average command, he has a chance to be at least a mid-rotation starter. Hagaman is raw and, at 22, remains in the low minors as he seeks to improve his control enough to allow his lively pitches to play.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer said that the trade will impact the Rangers in trying to make a playoff push and gives a good reset in the bullpen for the Diamondbacks.
For the Rangers: B
Kelly fits the bill nicely. He’s posted ERAs in the 3.00s in three of the last four seasons, including this one. He’s also on a heater with a 2.56 ERA in his last 10 starts.
He is a rental, so a three-for-one trade like this naturally carries some risk for a team that is only in wild-card contention. But then again, both Kelly and the Rangers know from 2023 that just getting in is what matters.
For the Diamondbacks: A
The Diamondbacks set a goal of replenishing their pitching ahead of the deadline, and this trade certainly accomplishes that.
Drake, Bratt and Hagaman were all among the Rangers’ top 13 prospects for MLB Pipeline. Drake is the closest to being ready for the majors, as he’s made it to Triple-A while posting a 3.10 ERA in 16 appearances overall.
FanSided’s Zachary Rotman said the Rangers came out as a clear winner in this deal but sees promise in the young pitching prospects for the Diamondbacks.
Rangers trade grade: A-
The Rangers are all-in, as they should be. This team is built right now, and with how they’ve played since the All-Star break, they’ve shown they’re worth betting on, especially since they won it all just two years ago. Kelly, a 36-year-old rental in the midst of an outstanding year, is exactly the kind of player you acquire when you’re all-in.
Diamondbacks trade grade: B+
Drake doesn’t throw particularly hard and doesn’t have a crazy ceiling, but he’s on the verge of being MLB-ready, and he could easily find himself in Arizona’s rotation by the end of the season.
The Diamondbacks didn’t get a top 100 prospects, but these are three fliers very much worth taking, especially for a team in dire need of pitching.
What about the Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery trade?
News trickled in after the deadline that the Diamondbacks traded pitchers Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery to the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later or cash considerations. It was a salary dump of Montgomery’s deal that should give Milwaukee bullpen help with Miller expected to return from injury soon.
While Montgomery is recovering from Tommy John surgery, Rymer didn’t see positives for either side.
For the Brewers: D
There’s frankly too much risk for comfort going on with this deal. Montgomery is out for the year after having Tommy John surgery, so the payoff hinges on Miller making a strong recovery from a forearm injury that put him on the IL on July 5.
For the Diamondbacks: F
The D-backs saved a couple million dollars in this deal. That’s it. That’s the return. It would be disappointing even if there wasn’t backstory with Montgomery, but there is and it’s not pretty.
from Arizona Sports https://ift.tt/8NPzWRe
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