Former Boston Red Sox pitcher and 2018 World Series champion Joe Kelly isn’t going anywhere — at least for one more season.
Kelly, 35, reached postseason contention with the Dodgers after Los Angeles acquired the right-hander from the Chicago White Sox by the Major League Baseball trade deadline. Los Angeles, however, fell early, losing to the eventual National League pennant-winning Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Division Series — getting swept.
Now, Kelly’s reportedly on the verge of returning for a 13th big league season, “nearing” a one-year deal to re-sign with the Dodgers, according to Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru of MLB.com.
That’s a major development in Kelly’s offseason stance as shortly after Los Angeles was bounced from the 2023 postseason, Kelly mentioned how retirement was on his mind while with the Dodgers.
“I kind of wanted to go out on my own and be the only guy in the history of the game to retire that could still throw 101 (miles per hour). I thought that would’ve been kind of interesting,” Kelly told WEEI’s Rob Bradford on Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast in October.
As enticing as walking away might be, Kelly certainly still has enough left in the tank to come out of the bullpen in 2024, recording an average velocity of 98.9 mph on his fastball in 2023. He also settled down upon arriving in Los Angeles, pitching to a strong 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances, striking out 19 of 40 batters faced with the Dodgers.
Kelly did miss six weeks, undergoing two injury list stints, including one with Los Angeles — both were due to right elbow inflammation.
Still a solid low-cost option for an already-stacked Dodgers roster expected to contend once again in 2024.
