PHOENIX — Merrill Kelly’s return to the desert is official after the Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Friday that a two-year, $40 million deal has been finalized.
The sides reached a tentative agreement on Sunday, but the deal was pending a physical. The right-hander will receive a $2 million signing bonus, a $17 million salary in 2026 and $21 million in 2027.
There is also a vesting option for 2028 that would become guaranteed as $12 million if he pitches 170 innings in 2027 and $14 million if he pitches 185 innings in 2027.
If traded, he would receive a $500,000 assignment bonus payable by the acquiring team.
Kelly also get a hotel suite on road trips.
The 37-year-old spent the first 6 1/2 years of his career with the Diamondbacks before the pending free agent was dealt to the Texas Rangers at this year’s trade deadline in July.
He was good for both teams, finishing with a combined 12-9 record and 3.52 ERA.
Kelly could open next spring as the D-backs No. 1 starter in a rotation that is expected to include Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez. Ace Corbin Burnes is still recovering from Tommy John surgery while 2023 All-Star Zac Gallen is a free agent and appears unlikely to re-sign.
Kelly’s return to the desert isn’t a huge surprise considering he’s a Scottsdale native and played at Arizona State.
The fan favorite was a key piece of the team that went to the World Series in 2023. He had a 12-8 record and a 3.29 ERA that season, adding a masterful performance in Game 2 of the World Series against the Rangers, which is the only game the D-backs win in the Fall Classic.
Kelly doesn’t have overpowering stuff but thrives with a six-pitch mix that keeps hitters off balance. He has carved out a solid MLB career despite not making his debut until he was 30 in 2019.
He played four seasons in South Korea from 2015 to 2018, going 48-32 with a 3.86 ERA.
SAN DIEGO — Michael King is staying with the San Diego Padres.
The right-hander signed a three-year, $75 million contract that allows him to opt out after the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
As part of the agreement announced Friday, King gets a $12 million signing bonus in three $4 million installments, within 30 days of the deal’s approval by Major League Baseball, and on Jan. 15 in both 2027 and 2028.
He receives a $5 million salary next season and has a $28 million player option for 2027 with a $5 million buyout. If that is exercised, he could exercise a $30 million player option for 2028 with no buyout.
King also gets a hotel suite on road trips.
King, who turns 31 in May, went 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts for the Padres last season. He missed time on the injured list with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder and then later with left knee inflammation.
San Diego lost frontline starter Dylan Cease to Toronto in free agency this month, and Yu Darvish is likely to miss the entire 2026 season following elbow surgery. King, however, rejoins a rotation that also features Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, who is expected back from Tommy John surgery.
King rejected a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from the Padres last month. They acquired him from the Yankees in the December 2023 trade that sent Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to New York.
In two seasons as a member of San Diego’s rotation, King is 18-12 with a 3.10 ERA. He made 30 starts and one relief appearance in 2024, going 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA.
King was primarily a reliever with the Yankees. He is 31-29 with a 3.24 ERA and seven saves in 161 games (64 starts) over seven major league seasons with New York and San Diego.
NEW YORK — Denver Barkey didn’t look out of place Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Not at all.
Playing his first career NHL game, Barkey made a major impact, but it was spoiled by a blown lead as the Flyers stumbled to the Rangers, 5-4, in a shootout.
The Flyers were on the power play for 2:51 minutes in overtime and failed to convert.
“You’ve got to come up with a goal for the team there,” Trevor Zegras said. “Just not good enough.”
Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored in the skills competition for New York. Zegras and Travis Konecny came up empty for the Flyers.
Rick Tocchet’s club scored two power play goals, an even strength goal and a shorthanded goal, all in the second period.
But the Flyers couldn’t nail down a 4-2 third-period lead. Mika Zibanejad tied the game for the Rangers with just 2:34 minutes left. It was a power play goal after Rasmus Ristolainen was penalized for hitting the puck over the glass.
“We’ve just got to learn how to handle pressure,” Tocchet said. “We knew at the beginning of the year it was something we were going to have to do. But we’ll take the point when we thought we should have had two.”
Zegras, Travis Sanheim, Owen Tippett and Rodrigo Abols provided the Flyers’ markers. Abols’ tally came on the penalty kill as the Flyers were nursing a one-goal lead. Sanheim made a great play to find him.
In the third period, Sanheim was left bloodied after taking a puck to the face. The 29-year-old defenseman had to exit before eventually returning.
The Flyers (17-10-7) finished their road trip 1-1-2. They couldn’t rebound from a bad 5-3 loss Thursday night to the Sabres. But they avoided dropping consecutive games in regulation, something they’ve done just once this season (Nov. 1-2).
“We’re only just past a third of the way in, so there’s still lots of hockey to be played,” general manager Danny Briere said an hour before puck drop. “We saw last game, a little bit of a bump in the road in Buffalo, didn’t have our best game, it’s going to happen, there are going to be ups and downs. We’re trying to stay even-keeled as much as possible.”
The Rangers (18-15-4) improved to just 5-10-3 at home.
“Metro Division matchup, you obviously want to get as many points as you can and not give any up,” Tippett said. “It’s one point. We’d like to have two, but there are things to work on.”
• Barkey made his NHL debut after being called up Friday from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
“He won a lot of battles,” Tocchet said. “He’s a good player. I like him a lot.”
The 20-year-old’s parents and brother were in attendance after they arrived around 3 a.m. ET.
“I think there was a bunch of Toronto snow and their flight got delayed,” Barkey said, “but thankfully they’re here.”
In just a 23-second span of the second period, the winger picked up two assists as the Flyers flipped a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Barkey had a primary helper on Sanheim’s game-tying power play goal before recording another one on Tippett’s go-ahead goal.
“A super skilled player,” Tippett said. “Brings a lot of energy.”
A little over three minutes later, Barkey drew a penalty and Zegras then padded the Flyers’ lead to 3-1 on the ensuing power play.
“I thought he was great,” Zegras said. “Obviously the offense was good, but he’s a really smart player, made a lot of plays, so I was very impressed.”
Not even three and a half minutes into the game, Barkey nearly scored his first goal. He had back-to-back looks right in front, but was denied by New York netminder Igor Shesterkin.
Barkey played on a line with Tippett and Sean Couturier. The 2023 third-rounder is just 5-foot-9 and around 170 to 175 pounds, but his hockey IQ and motor are excellent. He has opened eyes in Year 1 with the Phantoms.
“He came in, he played extremely well,” Briere said. “I think the biggest thing from the reports was his consistency. He was good night after night and has earned a look.”
Denver Barkey takes rookie lap ahead of his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden. Not a bad place to do it. pic.twitter.com/pW57G56uQE
• Samuel Ersson was in net for the Flyers as Dan Vladar missed the game with an upper-body injury.
The Flyers don’t believe the injury is serious. Briere even jokingly called it a “boo-boo.”
“He should be back, we hope, by Monday,” the Flyers’ GM said. “We don’t know for sure, but that’s what we’re hoping for.”
Ersson had 23 saves on 27 shots against the Rangers and wasn’t sharp in the third period.
Trocheck trickled one past him to make it 4-3. It was a shot that the 26-year-old goaltender knew he should have denied.
Panarin beat Ersson twice in regulation. He had the game-opening goal with 36 seconds left in the first period and then drew New York to within 3-2 during the second period before Abols scored at shorthanded.
Shesterkin stopped 28 of the Flyers’ 32 shots.
• The Flyers were also without key center Christian Dvorak. The 29-year-old is considered day to day with a lower-body injury.
“Just needs a few days,” Briere said. “He won’t be able to dress today, but we don’t expect him to miss, hopefully, no more than today.”
Garnet Hathaway was a healthy scratch for the first time this season.
It couldn’t have been an easy decision for Tocchet, even with the veteran winger’s drought offensively. Hathaway hasn’t recorded a point in 33 games.
“I think he’s had some tough moments, he’s trying to find his game,” Tocchet said. “But it’s not just him. He’s good when he plays with speed guys, so we’ve also got to help him, too.”
• The Flyers return home for a matchup Monday with the Canucks (7:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
The Baltimore Orioles acquired right-hander Shane Baz from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday for four minor leaguers and a draft pick.
The 26-year-old Baz went 10-12 with a 4.87 ERA last season in 31 starts. It was his first full season after Tommy John surgery. He also went 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA in 14 starts in 2024.
Baltimore, which landed free agent slugger Pete Alonso with a $155 million contract, is also trying to remake its pitching staff after a poor 2025 and a trade that sent right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels.
Baz was a first-round draft pick by Pittsburgh back in 2017, and he was traded to Tampa Bay in 2018 in a deal that sent Chris Archer to the Pirates. He was part of the U.S. Olympic team in 2021 before making his big league debut later that year.
He dealt with elbow problems in 2022 and eventually needed Tommy John surgery.
Baz had a $1.45 million salary last season and is likely to double that for 2026.
In the trade, the Rays acquired catcher Caden Bodine, outfielder Slater de Brun, right-hander Michael Forret, outfielder Austin Overn and a competitive balance pick (No. 33) in next year’s draft.
The Orioles designated left-hander Josh Walker for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Baltimore can keep Baz for at least three seasons before he would become a free agent. To get him, the Orioles gave up Bodine and de Brun, the 30th and 37th picks in this year’s draft. Bodine hit .326 in 11 games for Class A Delmarva.
The 21-year-old Forret went 2-2 with a 1.58 ERA in 74 innings across Class A and Double-A in 2025.
Also Friday, the Orioles announced their 2026 big league coaching staff under new manager Craig Albernaz: Pitching coach Drew French, assistant pitching coach Mitch Plassmeyer, pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek and third base coach Buck Britton remain on the staff. The team has added bench coach Donnie Ecker, hitting coach Dustin Lind, assistant hitting coach Brady North, first base coach Jason Bourgeois, bullpen coach Hank Conger, infield coach Miguel Cairo and field coordinator and catching coach Joe Singley.
Coventry manager reacted to Southampton fans’ taunts
‘Their fans gave me a bit … I gave them a bit back’
Frank Lampard admitted he was “out of order” after he sparked a post-match melee following Coventry’s 1-1 draw at Southampton. The home supporters had targeted the visitors’ manager with abuse in the latter stages of the match and, after the full-time whistle, Lampard went on to the pitch and repeatedly gestured to them, which led to players reacting.
“I was probably emotional,” said Lampard of his reaction to being called “a shit Steven Gerrard”. “The fans had given me a bit in the last 10 minutes and I went on the pitch to give them a bit back. It was really out of order but I wouldn’t have had as long in this game if I wasn’t sometimes emotional on the pitch, and not a bad bloke off it.
In just about two years, the right-hander went from being a journeyman starter picked up off waivers to one of the more reliable late-inning setup men in baseball.
After a strong finish in 2022, he was spectacular during his first full season in the Bronx, pitching to a 2.82 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 103 strikeouts over 84.0 innings of work.
He was able to build off that success to start last year, but ended up being forced to the sideline and missed an extended period due to a lingering hamstring issue.
The 32-year-old would return to the mound ahead of his initially scheduled timeline, but was never quite able to get back to that dominant groove, struggling mightily down the stretch.
He was unusable during the playoffs, allowing five runs in three ugly appearances.
With his contract expiring this winter, the Yanks showed some interest in potentially bringing him back, but they ultimately decided not to make him an offer in free agency.
After testing the open market, Weaver quickly found himself a new home on the other side of town, agreeing to a two-year pact with the crosstown rival Mets earlier this week.
While it’s a tough blow to the Bombers’ bullpen, Aaron Boone told reporters on Friday that he’s happy to see him receive a nice little increase from his previous deal.
“He got a really good deal that he earned,” the skipper said. “When we got him, it seemed like not a big move at the time, late in the ’23 season -- to turn into the reliever and the role he ended up having for us.
“He threw a lot of really big games and productive games over the last couple of years -- credit to him for going out there and making a little alter to his career and it truly paying dividends for him.”
Weaver finished with a 3.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 12 saves, and 191 strikeouts over 129 appearances in pinstripes.
He’ll look to do the same, this time setting up for Devin Williams in orange and blue.
Eddie Howe is synonymous with tidiness, efficiency, time management and, above all, control. Given that there is nothing remotely slapdash, careless or wasteful about Newcastle’s manager, his team’s increasing penchant for losing often hard-won authority is proving the most puzzling of paradoxes.
Newcastle have developed a habit of throwing leads away this season and, 2-0 up thanks to a Nick Woltemade double, they were at it again.
The Mets brought in Jorge Polanco to give them a nice piece they could potentially bounce around the infield.
The veteran is expected to see a ton of time at first and DH this season, though.
Polanco has appeared in just one big league game at the position, but he does have some recent experience there.
According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, he worked with Mariners infield coach Perry Hill and others on the staff for over two months in mid-June for a potential transition this past season.
Hill told Sammon that those lessons included how to hold a runner on, how to get to the base without being stepped on, how to throw to second, and how to get back to the bag on a snap throw from the catcher.
Those skills were never brought into game action, though, as Seattle ended up with a bigger need at second, so Polanco spent the majority of his time there down the stretch.
Once he gets down to Port St. Lucie, he figures to be able to put them to the test.
Hill expects that there are still some things to work on and old habits the middle infielder will need to break, but he did tell Sammon that Polanco is an “A-plus person” and always showed up ready to work.
The 32-year-old will try to help fill the huge void left behind with Pete Alonso’s departure to the Orioles.
A former Chicago Blackhawks forward is on the move.
The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they have acquired former Chicago Blackhawks forward Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.
Danault had been one of the NHL's top trade candidates, and the Canadiens were one of the clubs that he was heavily linked to. Now, with this move, the former Blackhawks forward is set to begin his second tenure as a member of the Canadiens.
Danault will be looking to bounce back with the Canadiens, as he has had a tough start to the 2025-26 season. In 30 games so far this campaign, he has recorded zero goals and five assists. This is after he had eight goals and 43 points in 80 games this past season with the Kings.
Danault kicked off his NHL career with the Blackhawks, as the Central Division club selected him in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft with the 26th overall pick. From there, Danault played two seasons with the Blackhawks from 2014-15 to 2015-16, where he recorded one goal and five points in 32 games.
Danault's time with the Blackhawks ended during the 2015-16 season when he was traded to the Canadiens with a 2018 second-round pick in exchange for Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann. He would break out and become a solid top-six two-way center with the Canadiens following the move.
Anaheim Ducks - 20-12-2 - 42 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - 2nd in the Atlantic
Columbus Blue Jackets - 14-14-6 - 34 Points - 3-5-2 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 18.1% - 18th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 72.0% - 30th in the NHL
Goals For - 98 - 20th in the NHL
Goals Against - 119 - 31st in the NHL
Ducks Stats
Power Play - 17.7% - 21st in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 76.3% - 27th in the NHL
Goals For - 120 - 3rd in the NHL
Goals Against - 120 - 25th in the NHL
Series History vs. TheDucks
Columbus is 32-29-1-8 all-time, and 15-16-1-3 on the road vs. Anaheim.
The Jackets are 2-1-2 in the last 5 games against the Ducks.
The CBJ have gone 5-of-19 on the PP in the last 6 games.
The Blue Jackets have killed off 46 straight Ducks man-advantages.
Who To Watch For TheDucks
Leo Carlsson leads the Ducks 41 points.
Troy Terry and Leo Carlsson lead the team with 24 assists each.
Cutter Gauthier leads Anaheim with 18 goals.
Lukáš Dostál 12-6-1 with a SV% of .905. He started and won last night against the Rangers.
Goalie Carter Ville Husso is 5-3-1 with a SV% of .884. He started and lost against the Jackets this past Tuesday.
CBJ Player Notes vs.Ducks
Zach Werenski has 13 points in 15 games against Anaheim
Boone Jenner has 9 points in his last 16 games against the Ducks.
Sean Monahan has 29 points in 36 games vs. Anaheim.
Injuries
Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 26 Games - IR - No timeline for a return
Mathieu Olivier - Upper Body - Missed 11 Games - IR- No timeline for a return - He is skating
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 67
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With only three games left before the Christmas break, the Montreal Canadiens will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on Saturday night before heading to Pennsylvania for the second part of the back-to-back on Sunday.
The big story for the weekend, aside from the fact that Kent Hughes brought back Phillip Danault, will be Sidney Crosby’s chase for the Penguins' all-time scoring lead. As things stand, the Penguins’ captain sits on point behind Mario Lemieux with 1,722 points; the “kid” needed 1,385 games to get there, while Lemieux recorded 1,723 points in just 915 games. In other words, in Saturday night’s tilt in Montreal, Crosby could tie the Montreal native Lemieux’s point total or even set a new record.
Pittsburgh was shut out in its last game against the Ottawa Senators, but Crosby has an excellent record against the Canadiens with 70 points in 53 career games. Tying or breaking Lemieux’s record in the province where Crosby played his junior hockey would be a great scenario.
The Penguins have been struggling of late; they are 2-4-4 in their last 10 games and are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference. They are still without Evgeni Malkin, who’s on injured reserve, and Kris Letang is having an awful season, becoming the target of the Pens’ fans' ire with only 16 points in 33 games with two more years left on his contract and a full no-movement clause.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens are 5-4-1 and still struggling with consistency. Martin St-Louis has yet to confirm who the starter will be for the tilt, but both goalies should see a game, given that the Habs are playing two games in two days. Jakub Dobes has never taken on the Pens, but he had a good game on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Czech netminder has a 12-5-2 record with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage this season. As for Jacob Fowler, he made his NHL debut a little over a week ago against the Pens, and he signed a 4-2 win, saving 36 of the 38 shots he faced for a .947 SV.
As for the Penguins, they recently traded Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers for Stuart Skinner. The latter has played only one game since the trade, and he allowed five goals on 22 shots against his former team. However, he has a 4-1-0 record against the Canadiens with a 2.75 GAA and a .898 save percentage. He’s 11-9-4 on the season with a 2.93 GAA and a .887 SV. As for Arturs Silovs, he has never taken on the Habs in his young career, and he has 4-5-6 record with a 3.26 GAA and a .890 SV on the season.
Up front, Brendan Gallagher is the Canadiens’ most productive player against the Pens with 16 points in 32 games, followed by Nick Suzuki, who has 12 points in 16 games and Mike Matheson with 10 points in 20 games. The
defenseman missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, but he did
skate on Friday while the team was off.
The Canadiens have acquired forward Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.
At the other end of the ice, Crosby is unsurprisingly the Pens most productive player against the Habs with 70 points in 53 games, as mentioned above. Erik Karlsson comes in second place with 43 points in 53 games, followed by Letang with 40 points in 48 games.
Pittsburgh has won six of the last 10 duels between the two sides, including a whooping 9-2 triumph the last time they met in Montreal. Still, the Habs have won the sole meeting this season, and the Penguins have lost their last seven games, not all in regulation, but still, they haven’t pocketed two points since December 4.
The referees will be Peter MacDougall and Frederic L’Ecuyer, with Devin Berg and Andrew Smith acting as linesmen.
The Canadiens will be celebrating Christmas at the Bell Centre tonight. The first 7,500 fans through the doors will receive a Christmas ornament exclusively designed for the event, and there will be a tailgate at La Cour Rio Tinto, where you can grab a free hot chocolate from the Tim Hortons food truck. If you’re watching the game at home, it’s scheduled for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on TVAS, CITY, SNE, and SN-PIT.
