Diamondbacks sign RHP Kelly to two-year deal

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Merrill Kelly to a two-year contract, the team announced Tuesday. Kelly, 30, spent the past four seasons pitching for the SK Wyverns of the KBO League in South Korea, going 48-32 with a 3.86 ERA and 641 strikeouts in 119 games (118 starts). Before that, he spent five seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization from 2010-14, compiling a 39-26 record with a 3.40 ERA and 379 strikeouts in 125 games (76 starts). Kelly made the International League All-Star team in 2014 while playing for Triple-A Durham, finishing 9-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 114.0 innings. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native and Arizona State product could become the fifth player in franchise history to play high school, college and major league baseball in Arizona. He would join Jake Barrett, Tuffy Gosewisch, Cody Ransom and Ed Vosberg. --Field Level Media