Trade deadline: Texas Rangers bolster pitching staff with bold moves
The Rangers, who already have the best starting rotation ERA in baseball (3.22), got better Thursday with the acquisition of starting pitcher Merrill Kelly from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for pitchers Kohl Drake, David Hagaman and Mitch Bratt, according to reports.
Kelly, 36, has a 3.22 ERA this season with 121 strikeouts in 128.2 innings and 22 appearances. He has spent all seven years of his MLB career with the Diamondbacks, posting a 3.74 ERA with 865 strikeouts in 953 innings.
Kelly is in his final year of a three-year, $24 million deal and will become a free agent after this season.
The Rangers have also acquired right-hander Phil Maton from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Maton has a 2.35 ERA in 38.1 innings this season with 48 strikeouts. He has a career ERA of 4.01 in nine seasons in the majors, and has spent time with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets.
Earlier, the Texas Rangers made their first trade acquisition, landing left-handed pitcher Danny Coulombe from the Minnesota Twins. ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan was the first to report the news.
This move comes after the Rangers traded right-handed pitcher Codi Heuer to the Detroit Tigers for cash.
Coulombe has appeared in 40 games this season, striking out 31 in 31 innings with a 1-0 record. In 11 years, Coulombe has spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles.
Coulombe has a career 3.28 ERA with 300 strikeouts in 304.2 innings. Coulombe is on a one-year, $3 million contract and will be also be a free agent after this season.
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 3:31 PM.
