Diamondbacks GM hints Rangers' Merrill Kelly won't be around long

As Merril Kelly prepares to make his first start for the Texas Rangers, the man who traded him made some comments that seem to hint the starting pitcher won't be on the AL West team beyond this season. One has to wonder if that isn't one of the reasons he was willing to trade him at the deadline.

When a player as good as Kelly is dealt in a season just ahead of free agency, fans always dream that the player will eventually resign with the club that traded them. Not long after the deal went down, Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen fed into those dreams when explaining why he traded Kelly in the first place.

Merrill Kelly’s first Rangers start begins a pivotal audition before free agency

"It's tough," Hazen said about trading the very talented pitcher to the Texas Rangers. "You develop relationships with these guys... somebody like Merrill, who came back from where he was, grew up, established himself as a major league player, and then became one of the best starting pitchers in baseball under our watch. I mean, that's even tougher."

"Who he is as a person, his family. ... he had some experience underneath him, but I think as far as becoming a major league player and then growing up through that system, with us, there's a huge attachment and all he did for the community, all he did when he was here, he's going to be missed," Hazen said.

The comment about a "huge attachment" paired with a recent interview where Kelly said he wouldn't be against a return to the Diamondbacks would seem to indicate that the team and the player have at least touched base about signing as a free agent.

The D-backs GM wouldn't say if he and the newest Texas Rangers pitcher specifically talked about going back to the desert. Still, he made it clear he and Merril Kelly did have a long conversation during the deadline.