MLB
Merrill Kelly
Merrill Kelly
Arizona Diamondbacks, Starting Pitcher
Age: 36y-2m-7d (Oct 14, 1988)
Exp: 6.000 Years
Country: US
College: Arizona State
Drafted: Round 8 (#251 overall), 2010
Agent(s): Apex Baseball
2025 Payroll Salary
$7,000,000
2025 Cash
$7,000,000
Career Earnings
$29,611,111
2023-2025 Extension (CURRENT)
Merrill Kelly signed a 2 year , $18,000,000 contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, including $1,000,000 signing bonus, $18,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $9,000,000. In 2025, Kelly will earn a base salary of $7,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $7,000,000 and a dead cap value of $1,000,000.
Contract Terms:
2 yr(s) / $18,000,000
Average Salary:
$9,000,000
Signing Bonus:
$1,000,000
Free Agent:
2026 / UFA
| Year | Age | Status | PayrollAnnual | Luxury Tax | Tax % League Tax | Cash Annual | Cash Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
|
34 | $8,500,000 | $9,000,000 | 3.86% | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | |
| 2024 |
|
35 | $8,500,000 | $9,000,000 | 3.80% | $8,000,000 | $16,000,000 | |
| 2025 |
|
36 |
Club
|
$7,000,000 | $7,000,000 | 2.90% | $7,000,000 | $23,000,000 |
| 2026 |
|
37 |
UFA |
| Year | Age | Service | Status | Base Salary | Signing Proration | Incentives Likely | Incentives Unlikely | Payroll Salary | Luxury Tax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
|
34 | 4.000 | $8,000,000 | $500,000 | - | - | $8,500,000 | $9,000,000 | |
| 2024 |
|
35 | 5.000 | $8,000,000 | $500,000 | - | - | $8,500,000 | $9,000,000 | |
| 2025 |
|
36 | 6.000 |
Club
|
$7,000,000 | - | - | - | $7,000,000 | $7,000,000 |
| 2026 |
|
37 | -- |
UFA |
| Year | Age | Status | Base Salary | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative | Cash Remaining | AYC Cumulative | AYC Remaining | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
|
34 | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $7,666,667 | |
| 2024 |
|
35 | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $16,000,000 | $7,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $7,500,000 | |
| 2025 |
|
36 |
Club |
$7,000,000 | $7,000,000 | $23,000,000 | - | $7,666,667 | $7,000,000 |
Contract Notes
- 2025 Club Option includes a $1M buyout
Source:
MLB contract specifics generally collected from verified reports.
2019-2022 free-agent-xxb
Merrill Kelly signed a 2 year , $5,500,000 contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, including $5,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,750,000.
Contract Terms:
2 yr(s) / $5,500,000
Average Salary:
$2,750,000
Signing Bonus:
N/A
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2010-2010 Signing Bonus
Merrill Kelly signed a 1 year , $125,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, including $125,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $125,000.
Contract Terms:
1 yr(s) / $125,000
Average Salary:
$125,000
Signing Bonus:
N/A
To see the rest of the Merrill Kelly's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. Already Subscribed? Login Here
Seasons
6.000 Years
Career Earnings thru 2025
$29,611,111
Earnings w/ Different Teams
1 team
Earnings Per Year
| Year | Age | Team(s) | Status | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 30 |
|
Active
|
$2,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
|
| 2020 | 31 |
|
Injured
|
$1,111,111 |
$3,111,111 |
|
| 2021 | 32 |
|
Active / Club Exercised
|
$4,250,000 |
$7,361,111 |
|
| 2022 | 33 |
|
Active / Club Exercised
|
$6,250,000 |
$13,611,111 |
|
| 2023 | 34 |
|
Active
|
$8,000,000 |
$21,611,111 |
|
| 2024 | 35 |
|
Active
|
$8,000,000 |
$29,611,111 |
|
| Total |
$29,611,111 |
$29,611,111 |
||||
| 2025 | 36 |
|
Active / Club Exercised
|
$7,000,000 |
||
| Total |
$36,611,111 |
Earnings Per Team
| Years | Team | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
|
$28,611,111 | $1,000,000 | - | $29,611,111 |
| Year | Team(s) | Age | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |
|
30 |
$2,000,000
|
$2,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
||
| 2020 |
|
31 |
$1,111,111
|
$1,111,111 |
$3,111,111 |
||
| 2021 |
|
32 |
$4,250,000
|
$4,250,000 |
$7,361,111 |
||
| 2022 |
|
33 |
$5,250,000
|
$1,000,000 |
$6,250,000 |
$13,611,111 |
|
| 2023 |
|
34 |
$8,000,000
|
$8,000,000 |
$21,611,111 |
||
| 2024 |
|
35 |
$8,000,000
|
$8,000,000 |
$29,611,111 |
||
| Total |
$28,611,111 |
$1,000,000 |
$29,611,111 |
$29,611,111 |
|||
| 2025 |
|
36 |
$7,000,000
|
$7,000,000 |
|||
| Total |
$35,611,111 |
$1,000,000 |
$36,611,111 |
Earnings Per Team
| Years | Team | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
|
$28,611,111 | $1,000,000 | - | $29,611,111 |
Injuries
| Year | Dates | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
ARI |
Apr 20, 2024 - Aug 11, 2024 | Shoulder |
| 2023 |
ARI |
Jun 27, 2023 - Jul 25, 2023 | Calf |
| 2021 |
ARI |
Aug 15, 2021 - Sep 15, 2021 | COVID-19 |
| 2021 |
ARI |
May 04, 2021 - May 07, 2021 | Undisclosed |
| 2020 |
ARI |
Aug 24, 2020 - Sep 27, 2020 | Shoulder |
-
Nov 02, 2024
Arizona (ARI) exercised a $7 million option for 2025
-
Apr 01, 2022
Signed a 2 year $18 million contract extension with Arizona (ARI) - includes 2025 club Option
-
Nov 04, 2021
Arizona (ARI) exercised a $5.25 million option for 2022
-
Nov 01, 2020
Arizona (ARI) exercised a $4.25 million option for 2021
-
Dec 04, 2018
Signed a 2 year $5.5 million contract with Arizona (ARI)
-
Jun 10, 2010
Signed a contract with Tampa Bay (TB)
-
Jun 07, 2010
Drafted by Tampa Bay (TB): Round 8 (#251 overall)
| Year | Team | GP | GS | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | W | L | SV | IP | ERA | WHIP | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ARI | 13 | 13 | 67 | 35 | 33 | 19 | 63 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 73.7 | 4.03 | 1.17 | 1.00 |
| 2023 | ARI | 30 | 30 | 143 | 71 | 65 | 69 | 187 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 177.7 | 3.29 | 1.19 | 3.89 |
| 2022 | ARI | 33 | 33 | 167 | 77 | 75 | 61 | 177 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 200.3 | 3.37 | 1.14 | 3.77 |
| 2021 | ARI | 27 | 27 | 163 | 82 | 78 | 41 | 130 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 158.0 | 4.44 | 1.29 | 2.42 |
| 2020 | ARI | 5 | 5 | 26 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 31.3 | 2.59 | 0.99 | 1.28 |
| 2019 | ARI | 32 | 32 | 184 | 95 | 90 | 57 | 158 | 29 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 183.3 | 4.42 | 1.32 | 1.19 |
Calculated Market Value
Market Value
- 2 years, $34,568,606
- Avg. Salary: $17,284,303
- MLB Rank: 80
- SP Rank: 31
Current Contract
- Free Agent: 2026
- Avg. Salary: $9,000,000
- MLB Rank: 164
- SP Rank: 65
Comparable Players
We've selected the following players based on their age, contract status, and statistical production to compare Merrill Kelly to.
| Player | Length | Value | Avg. Salary | Age When Signed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonny Gray | 3 | $75,000,000 | $25,000,000 | 34 |
| Yu Darvish | 6 | $108,000,000 | $18,000,000 | 36 |
| Kyle Gibson | 1 | $13,000,000 | $13,000,000 | 36 |
| Seth Lugo | 3 | $45,000,000 | $15,000,000 | 34 |
| Averages | 3 | $60,250,000 | $17,750,000 | 35.0 |
Base Calculated Value
After adjusting the above contracts as if signed at Kelly's current age (36), a linear regression is performed, providing us with the following initial value.
| Length | Value | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | $53,803,278 | $17,934,426 |
Statistical Comparisons
Now we'll compare our variables and Kelly statistically over the two seasons prior to their signing. In this case we're analyzing: GS/Yr, IP, K/9, BB/9, ERA, WHIP, FIP, GP%, WAR
| Player | GS/Yr | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | ERA | WHIP | FIP | GP% | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sonny Gray
2022-2023
|
28.00 | 5.42 | 8.88 | 2.70 | 2.94 | 1.14 | 3.12 | 17.28 | 4.72 |
|
Yu Darvish
2021-2022
|
30.00 | 6.02 | 9.94 | 2.04 | 3.66 | 1.02 | 3.60 | 18.52 | 3.39 |
|
Kyle Gibson
2022-2023
|
32.00 | 5.62 | 7.54 | 2.58 | 4.89 | 1.33 | 4.20 | 19.75 | 0.67 |
|
Seth Lugo
2022-2023
|
13.00 | 2.40 | 9.08 | 2.35 | 3.59 | 1.19 | 3.80 | 27.08 | 3.50 |
| Average | 25.75 | 4.87 | 8.86 | 2.42 | 3.77 | 1.17 | 3.68 | 20.66 | 3.07 |
|
Merrill Kelly
2023-2024
|
21.50 | 5.84 | 8.59 | 2.91 | 3.66 | 1.18 | 4.05 | 13.23 | 3.87 |
| Pct Change | -16.50 | 19.92 | -3.05 | -20.25 | 2.92 | -0.85 | -10.05 | -35.96 | 26.06 |
| Median Prime % Change | -3.05% | ||||||||
| Average Prime % Change | -4.20% | ||||||||
Calculated Market Value: Merrill Kelly
After applying our Prime % figures into our base calculated value, we're given two values. The average of these values becomes our current calculated market value.
| Terms | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|
| 2 years, $34,568,606 | $17,284,303 |
