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12:29PM: Kelly and the Dodgers have agreed to phrases, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reviews (X link), and the deal might be official when Kelly passes a bodily. It’s anticipated that Kelly signed a one-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Put up.
11:31AM: The Dodgers and right-hander Joe Kelly are “very shut” to a brand new contract, sources inform FanSided’s Robert Murray (X link). Los Angeles handed on a $9.5MM membership possibility on the ACES consumer final month, as a substitute shopping for Kelly out for $1MM and sending him into free company.
This can mark Kelly’s third separate stint in Dodger Blue. The reliever first joined the crew on a three-year, $25MM free agent contract through the 2018-19 offseason, and after L.A. declined a $12MM membership possibility for a fourth yr of that deal, Kelly signed with the White Sox on a two-year, $17MM pact. 2023 was the final assured yr of that deal, and with Chicago caught within the midst of a disastrous season, the Sox moved Kelly and Lance Lynn to the Dodgers previous to the commerce deadline.
Kelly had a 4.97 ERA over 29 innings for the White Sox previous to the commerce, however he regained his type in his previous stomping grounds with a sparking 1.74 ERA in 10 1/3 innings over 11 appearances for the Dodgers. Since Kelly’s secondary numbers with Chicago had been much more spectacular than his ERA, the Dodgers guess accurately that Kelly was due some constructive course-correction. For the season as an entire, Kelly posted a 4.12 ERA, 58% grounder price, 35.7% strikeout price, and 10.7% stroll price over 39 1/3 innings. Whereas the stroll price is on the excessive facet, the excellent strikeout and grounder numbers made up for some shaky management, and Kelly’s arm remains to be very stay at age 35, with a fastball averaging 98.9mph.
Regardless of these outcomes, Kelly’s well being has been a query mark, which seemingly factored into the Dodgers’ choice to say no that $9.5MM possibility. Kelly has been on the injured checklist eight instances over the past 4 seasons, with three of these stints (resulting from forearm irritation, elbow irritation, and a groin pressure) coming in 2023. Whereas not one of the accidents had been overly severe, the cumulative IL time price Kelly round two months of the season, and creates some doubt about how nicely he can maintain up over the course of a full marketing campaign and into what the Dodgers hope might be a deep run into the playoffs.
The bullpen was a giant energy for the Dodgers final season, and reinforcing that energy is of explicit import contemplating the entire questions L.A. is going through within the beginning rotation. The Dodgers will certainly add some depth and probably even some celebrity arms to the pitching workers by winter’s finish, but clearly it helps the run prevention efforts on the entire if the reduction corps has sufficient depth and high quality to assist bail out the starters. Evan Phillips will return because the nearer, with Kelly becoming a member of Brusdar Graterol and Caleb Ferguson as major setup choices.
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