{"id":510159,"date":"2026-02-28T18:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T18:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/510159\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T18:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T18:03:09","slug":"mlb-pitcher-picks-diamondback-over-padres-due-to-californias-tax-rates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/510159\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB pitcher picks Diamondback over Padres due to California’s tax rates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Merrill Kelly will once again be wearing an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform when the 2026 regular season gets underway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kelly, who entered the free agent market after pitching in 10 games with the Texas Rangers<\/a> in 2025, agreed to a deal to return to the Diamondbacks.<\/p>\n

Kelly spent the first seven years of his professional career with the Diamondbacks but revealed that he had received an offer from the San Diego Padres<\/a> this offseason. Kelly said his decision to turn down the Padres during free agency centered on California\u2019s higher income tax rate than Arizona\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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\"Merrill <\/p>\n

Merrill Kelly (23) of the Texas Rangers pitches during a game against the Miami Marlins at Globe Life Field on Sept. 21, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Gunnar Word\/Texas Rangers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Kelly agreed to a two-year contract worth an estimated $40 million with the Diamondbacks, according to ESPN. Although the Padres offered a comparable deal at three years instead of two, California\u2019s 13% tax rate on income above $1 million proved a key difference.<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t think it\u2019s any secret on how much money you get taken out of your pocket when you go to California,” the right-hander told “Foul Territory.”<\/a><\/p>\n

Kelly also has deep ties to Arizona, where he attended high school and played college baseball at Arizona State.<\/a> He said finding a way back to Arizona “was always the priority.”<\/p>\n

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Merrill Kelly (29) of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on before Game Six of the Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 23, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.\u00a0 (Rich Schultz\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

While Kelly said he is fond of San Diego, he was unwilling to sacrifice a significant portion of his salary to taxes. “I love San Diego,” Kelly said. “It\u2019s just, like I said, they take too much money out of my pocket, man. The taxes over there are a different level.<\/p>\n

“We had my numbers guy run the numbers, and it just made more sense to come home.”<\/p>\n

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Merrill Kelly (23) of the Texas Rangers looks on during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Globe Life Field on Aug. 8, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Bailey Orr\/Texas Rangers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Arizona\u2019s state income tax rate is roughly 2.5%. Kelly also joked that he prefers the desert landscape to San Diego\u2019s coastal setting.<\/p>\n

“It worked out best for us because that was honestly our second choice,” Kelly said. “It was between here and San Diego going into the offseason. San Diego was really the only place that, if we did go somewhere, that was probably high on our list if we weren\u2019t in Arizona. It\u2019s like, \u2018All right, let\u2019s just hop over and take a short, six-hour drive to San Diego.\u2019<\/p>\n

“But, yeah, the desert is home. I guess we\u2019re not ocean people.”<\/p>\n

In a statement to The California Post, the Padres said the team does “not comment on contract negotiations.”<\/p>\n

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Acquired by the Rangers in July 2025, Kelly went 12-9 while splitting the season between Texas and Arizona.<\/p>\n

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n