MLB pitcher Merrill Kelly says California tax rate swayed decision to reject Padres’ free agency offer

Merrill Kelly volition erstwhile again beryllium wearing an Arizona Diamondbacks azygous erstwhile the 2026 regular play gets underway. 

Kelly, who entered the escaped cause marketplace aft pitching successful 10 games with the Texas Rangers successful 2025, agreed to a woody to instrumentality to the Diamondbacks.

Kelly spent the archetypal 7 years of his nonrecreational vocation with the Diamondbacks but revealed that helium received an connection from the San Diego Padres this offseason. Kelly said his determination to crook down the Padres during escaped bureau centered connected California’s higher income taxation complaint compared to Arizona’s.

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Merrill Kelly (23) of the Texas Rangers pitches during a crippled against the Miami Marlins astatine Globe Life Field connected Sept. 21, 2025 successful Arlington, Texas. (Gunnar Word/Texas Rangers/Getty Images)

Kelly agreed to a two-year declaration worthy an estimated $40 cardinal with the Diamondbacks, according to ESPN. Although the Padres offered a comparable woody astatine 3 years alternatively of two, California’s 13% taxation complaint connected income supra $1 cardinal proved a cardinal difference.

"I don’t deliberation it’s immoderate concealed connected however overmuch wealth you get taken retired of your pouch erstwhile you spell to California," the right-hander told "Foul Territory."

Kelly besides has heavy ties to Arizona, wherever helium attended precocious schoolhouse and played assemblage shot astatine Arizona State. He said uncovering a mode backmost to Arizona "was ever the priority."

Merrill Kelly (29) of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks connected earlier Game Six of the Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies astatine Citizens Bank Park connected Oct. 23, 2023 successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

While Kelly said helium is fond of San Diego, helium was unwilling to sacrifice a important information of his wage to taxes. "I emotion San Diego," Kelly said. "It’s just, similar I said, they instrumentality excessively overmuch wealth retired of my pocket, man. The taxes implicit determination are a antithetic level.

"We had my numbers feline tally the numbers, and it conscionable made much consciousness to travel home."

Merrill Kelly (23) of the Texas Rangers looks connected during a crippled against the Philadelphia Phillies astatine Globe Life Field connected Aug. 8, 2025 successful Arlington, Texas. (Bailey Orr/Texas Rangers/Getty Images)

Arizona’s authorities income taxation complaint is astir 2.5%. Kelly besides joked that helium prefers the godforsaken scenery to San Diego’s coastal setting.

"It worked retired champion for america due to the fact that that was honestly our 2nd choice," Kelly said. "It was betwixt present and San Diego going into the offseason. San Diego was truly the lone spot that, if we did spell somewhere, that was astir apt precocious connected our database if we weren’t successful Arizona. It’s like, ‘All right, let’s conscionable hop implicit and instrumentality a short, six-hour thrust to San Diego.’

"But, yeah, the godforsaken is home. I conjecture we’re not water people."

In a connection to The California Post, the Padres said the squad does "not remark connected declaration negotiations."

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Acquired by the Rangers successful July 2025, Kelly went 12-9 portion splitting the play betwixt Texas and Arizona.

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