An unfortunate PED suspension derailed a quietly solid season.
Michael Kelly went from a mundane offseason waiver claim to a very capable arm at the back end of the Athletics bullpen. Unfortunately, a revelation in June that he bet a small amount on some MLB games back in 2021 led to a one-year suspension, derailing his season and career. However, he remains a member of the A’s organization, where he’ll hope to get a second chance to prove he’s a major league pitcher.
How was he acquired?
After a promising month-and-a-half cameo in which Kelly put up a 3.78 ERA/2.96 FIP in 16 2⁄3 innings, the bullpen-deep Cleveland Guardians designated him for assignment in the offseason. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Oakland A’s had a bullpen wherein nearly every spot was up in the air, so they successfully claimed Kelly and added him to their 40-man roster.
What were the expectations?
Already 31 years old, the A’s didn’t expect Kelly to provide much more than backend bullpen depth. Lacking a full major league season under his belt, he was an unproven performer. However, he had enough experience and talent to likely get a chance at some point during the season when many relievers or on a constant revolving conveyor belt between the majors and minors.
2024 Results
Due to numerous bullpen injuries in Spring Training, the A’s found an open spot for Kelly to start Opening Day on the 26-man roster. Though limited to mostly mop-up duties, the journeyman performed surprisingly well, posting a a 2.59 ERA/3.84 FIP across 31 1⁄3 innings to start the season. Part of the reversal of his ERA-FIP disparity was a drastic shift in his profile. Previously a high-walk, high-strikeout pitcher, Kelly turned himself into more of a command artist on the mound.
Always a slider-heavy pitcher, the righty almost completely eradicated the sinker from his arsenal and used that juice on his four-seamer instead, inducing a much higher rate of flyballs than the previous season. That definitely served him well in the Coliseum as he was helped by a below average 5% HR/FB rate. He was slowly becoming a more and more trustworthy arm that manager Mark Kotsay could go to in some higher leverage situations.
And then the news hit on June 4, revealing that five players were suspended for gambling on baseball. Kelly was one of those players. Fortunately, he never bet on a team that he was on, which means he got hit with a one-year suspension instead of a lifetime ban. His wagers only added up to $99.22 over nine 2021 Houston Astros games, so there wasn’t any extreme vitriol thrown his way. It was just an unfortunate situation for everyone involved — Kelly, his teammates, A’s fans.
2025 Outlook
Kelly is still considered an inactive member of the Athletics until his suspension is up. At that point, it’s unclear if the A’s will have to add him back to the 40-man roster or if they can assign him to the minors without any roster moves. My assumption is that, regardless, he’ll end up reporting to one of the A’s minor league teams as they build him back up and give him a second chance at a successful and clean baseball career. It’d be rough for his career to end this way, so here’s to hoping he makes it back.
