In an upcoming version of the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast, veteran reliever Joe Kelly advised host Rob Bradford (X hyperlink) that he isn’t but planning to retire, and that the right-hander is aiming to return subsequent season and pitch in what can be his 14th Main League marketing campaign.
Whereas there hadn’t been any explicit indication that Kelly was considering of calling it a profession, it was truthful to marvel about his future contemplating his current harm historical past. Kelly was restricted to 35 video games and 32 innings for the Dodgers this season resulting from recurring shoulder issues, most prominently a proper posterior pressure that put him on the injured checklist for about 2.5 months. The suitable-hander then missed slightly below three weeks throughout one other IL stint resulting from shoulder soreness, and missed out on the Dodgers’ playoff run after (based on supervisor Dave Roberts) tweaking his shoulder throughout a simulated recreation in early October. Kelly did inform Bradford that he thought he may get inserted onto the World Collection roster if the Fall Traditional had gone to a Sport 6, maybe resulting from one other harm throughout the Dodgers’ bullpen.
Kelly has now visited the IL on ten separate events over the past 5 seasons, resulting from quite a lot of each arm-related (shoulder, elbow irritation, nerve drawback in his bicep) points and different maladies like a groin pressure or a hamstring pressure. The longest of those IL stints was this season’s journey to the 60-day IL for the shoulder pressure, however the sheer variety of knocks clearly makes sturdiness a giant concern for Kelly as he heads into his age-37 season.
Unsurprisingly, Kelly’s efficiency has tended to fluctuate fairly wildly amidst all these accidents. He has a 4.21 ERA over 162 1/3 innings for the reason that begin of the 2020 season, with a powerful 29.4% strikeout fee but additionally an 11.2% stroll fee. Kelly had this identical stroll fee in the course of the 2024 season, although solely with a 24.5K% and a 4.78 ERA in his 32 frames. Most of his Statcast metrics had been beneath common, but Kelly can nonetheless convey elite velocity along with his 98.1 mph fastball.
That eye-popping heater will nonetheless certainly get Kelly some appears from groups in free company this winter, although touchdown something past a one-year contract would rely as a shock. Kelly’s previous forays into the open market have netted some wholesome contracts — a three-year, $25MM pact with the Dodgers in December 2018, then a two-year, $17MM take care of the White Sox previous to the beginning of the 2022 season. That latter contract contained a $9.5MM membership possibility for 2024 that the Dodgers (who re-acquired Kelly on the 2023 commerce deadline) declined, although they then re-signed Kelly on a one-year, $8MM pact for 2024.
Returning to L.A. on a decrease wage may actually be within the playing cards, as there’s some apparent fondness between the 2 sides and Kelly would certainly love a crack at a fourth World Collection ring. Past the Dodgers, just about any crew in want of additional bullpen velo may take into account Kelly within the hopes that he’s due for an additional bounce-back yr, even with the caveat that’s appears unlikely he’d keep away from the injured checklist for a complete season.