Joe Kelly, who’d been one of Boston’s most consistent relievers for years, will now reportedly be joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, reports say.
As Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported, Joe Kelly, who has spent the last four seasons with the Boston Red Sox, will be signing a new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Furthermore, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports added that the deal would be worth approximately $25 million and would be spread across three seasons.
Kelly, who started his career as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, pitched 65.2 innings this season for the World Series winning Boston Red Sox, boasting an ERA of 4.39 while striking out 68 and walking 32.
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Last season, in 58.0 frames, he had an immaculate 2.79 ERA and struck out 52 and walked just 27. His career ERA sits at a solid 3.87, while his career WHIP is 1.385. He has pitched a total of 625.1 major league innings, and has saved just two games.
While nothing has been officially confirmed, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com noted that Kelly, who appeared on Boston’s WEEI Radio, said he’d be joining the Dodgers, citing consistent success and determination as driving forces behind his decision.
Also, in a somewhat surprising turn of events, the Dodgers were, according to Gurnick, the only team to offer Kelly a three-year contract. Though it was widely reported that the Red Sox were going to attempt to re-sign Kelly, it appears as though they never made a serious bid.
The deal should soon be made official, with Kelly joining an already well developed Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen that looks poised to contend once again in 2019. While it is currently unknown just what role Kelly will fill in the new year, he will probably end up being a middle reliever of sorts.