1:27pm: MLBTR has confirmed that the contract breaks down as follows: $1MM signing bonus, $3MM salary in 2019, $8.5MM salary in 2020, $8.5MM salary in 2021 and a $4MM buyout on a $12MM option for the 2022 season. In total, the contract guarantees Kelly $25MM.
Dec. 21, 12:45pm: The Dodgers have formally announced the signing. They’ll need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move, though they’ve yet to announce what that will be.
Dec. 13: The Dodgers and free agent righty Joe Kelly are close to an agreement, according to Ken Rosenthal and Robert Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kelly is set to receive a three-year deal worth around $25MM, as per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan (via Twitter). Kelly is represented by ACES.
The Dodgers received an up-close (and, at the time, unwelcome) look at Kelly’s ability during the World Series, when he tossed six shutout innings over five appearances to help Boston capture the championship. His work in the Fall Classic capped off an outstanding postseason for Kelly, who allowed just one earned run over 11 1/3 IP against the Dodgers, Astros, and Yankees.
If last October represented Kelly at his best, the righty hasn’t always been able to consistently deliver on that potential throughout his career. Kelly posted a 4.39 ERA, 9.3 K/9, and 2.13 K/BB rate over 65 2/3 innings in the regular season, and has had some issues avoiding walks over the last three seasons (4.6 BB/9 since 2016). His 9.2 K/9 over that same stretch is nothing to sneeze at, of course, though it still seems somewhat of an underwhelming total given the pure electricity in Kelly’s arm. He averaged 98.1 mph on his fastball last season, dropping just slightly from a 99 mph average in 2017.
Kelly is likely to fit into the setup role in the Dodgers’ bullpen, handling the eighth inning to set up closer Kenley Jansen. Given the amount of flexibility and potential starting arms that could see time in the pen, however, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see Kelly brought into higher-leverage situations earlier in games.
Between Kelly joining the Dodgers and Jeurys Familia going to the Mets, we’re beginning to see some of the offseason’s top free agent setup men come off the board. MLBTR ranked Kelly 25th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agent, projecting him to land three years and $27MM (though we had the Anaheim native going to his hometown Angels, rather than the Los Angeles area’s other team).
Wow. Well I didn’t pick Dodgers for him. I don’t think i got one prediction right so far
I had Familia going to the Dodgers lol so these 2 signings screwed it all up. Only 2 right so far
I’m guessing the front office, understandably, would want to add to the bullpen. Jansen was hardly carrying closer stuff this year. His stuff looks awful actually.
I only got 2 right so far (Eovaldi & Richards) but this was wrong & does not bode well for my predictions of Ottavino & Britton coming to LA. Still like this signing tho.
Yea same here. I’ve only gotten 1 right so far. (Mccutchen)
Over paid
It’s not like he’s Tyler Chatwood who NEVER had a decent year, yet got more money from the Cubs last offseason and brings nothing but a big arm to the table. Kelly brings hot streaks with him where he can be just dominating at times, then again? There are other times where u want him as the 12th man in a 11 man BP he’s so bad.
Xabial, where art thou?
People post about him more than he posts. Does nobody see the irony?
Ha ha! So true.
Yeah, this is becoming the most aggravating part of MLBTR.
I believe Xabial is female.
Xabial is female, but do what? What are you trying to say????????
Wow, didn’t see this coming.
I don’t get this one as a Dodgers fan. Seems like a lot better options out there
I agree. He gets rewarded for a stellar post – season, but what about his body of work, which is less than inspiring. At this point Baez is a better bridge to Jansen and may ultimately replace Jansen.
I completely 100% agree
Dodgers could have done a lot worse. This move wont hurt their agility to sign other guys, either. When he’s on, Kelly is as nasty as they come.
You were not brought upon this world to get it!
I want no part of this guy. He purposefully/intentionally hit Hanley in the first inning, game 1 of 2013 playoffs and took our best hitter out of that entire series. He’s a p$!(&. Don’t sign him AF!
Too late for you. You’ll have to get over it or start rooting for the angels. Balls in your court NorCal.
Those types of decisions, to hit a guy on purpose, are usually not made by the pitcher.
In his defense, doesn’t EVERYONE want to hit Hanley?
I like him at 3/25. He was an absolute monster once he ramped up usage with the four-seamer and the curve.
He was an absolute monster in October. Let’s not make things up. He was horrific in the month of September and was inconsistent the entire season.
October also happens to be when he ramped up usage of the four-seamer and the curve.
Look, I’m not saying he’s gonna be the next Mo Rivera. I’m just saying that changes like these matter — and I can guarantee you they played a role in how some teams evaluate him.
He had nice shiny months in May and August too. Guy has been everything but consistent. But hey like Eovaldi the pair of them got hot at the right time. They both have big arms. Only time will tell. Their respective teams are clearly banking on it with the guarantees thrown their way though.
Right; he’s a gamble. Most bullpen arms are.
I mean, if he’d consistently performed all year long like he did in October, you wouldn’t be getting him for 3/25. That’s how it works.
Most bullpen arms who get 25 in guaranteed cash have multiple quality seasons under their belt. I agree it’s a crapshoot with a lot of relievers but this one is definitely more risky than most at this price range. Only Colorado Gave out more guaranteed money than this last offseason. In fact Colorado (and SF w tony Watson on a small guarantee) was the only team to sign a reliever for 3 years. In the grand scheme of things it’s not a ton of cash for a team like LA so they can afford to roll the dice.
Let it go.
He’s a gamer.
Man, I’ve really been looking forward to seeing this headline come out as, “Angels Close to Deal With Joe Kelly.
There is no Los Angeles area ‘other’ team. And if the Angels actually played in the city or the county of Los Angeles, they’d be the ‘other’ team.
Angel Stadium is 31 miles from Dodger Stadium. That would be in the LA AREA.
It’s 35 miles. It’s Orange County. None of this is LA area.
That’s a good thing. LA is a dump and looks more like a 3rd world Country every time I visit. Orange County is MUCH nicer.
May I suggest you spend some time in Manhattan Beach the next time you’re in LA? You might need to re-evaluate your over-generalized opinion of LA County afterwards.
Camden Yards is 42 miles from Nationals Park. That doesn’t mean the Baltimore Orioles should call themselves the Washington Orioles or the Washington Nationals should call themselves the Baltimore Nationals.
What Arte Moreno is doing with the Angels name is stupid and insulting to Anaheim and Orange County. He needs to take a page from the Ducks and use the city name his stadium is actually located in.
Oakland to San Francisco is an 8 mile flight
And still they make you pay to check your bags.
If you can’t beat him, sign him!
I think he is worth a shot.
We need all of the bullpen help that we can get but you can thank Joe Buck for this contract. The way he slobbers on certain players makes them seem a lot better than they really are.
AF could care less about what Joe Buck thinks or how much he drools. This has absolutely nothing to do with what idiot Buck says.
Good for him. Id have liked to see him come back to Boston but we need a closer more than a bridge right now. I hope he stays figures out his control issues and turns into that lights out guy he has the potential to be.
DD could not afford 3yr 25 mill?
nope…cause sox won’t the championship. he did what was expected so let relief some payroll amd rebuild.
Interesting to see them hand this money out to Kelly as opposed to Britton or Ottavino. Hopfully its the right guy
I don’t think those guys are signing for 3/25
Finally got one right
Kenley, I know what you mean. I like ‘smokin Joe’ but if DD has the $’s and the pen–I would give a 3 year/$25 M to Britton, Kimbrel or Miller. I haven’t seen Ottovino; I have liked Soria since his days in KC. I think DD likes 2 Sox minor leaguers and Barnes/ Brasier as
closer/ set-up possibilities.
Once that is done DD might look @ Realmuto; I think he likes the combo of Leon and Vazquez.
They’re not getting any of those guys for 3/25 I’d say 10-12 min??
Boston does not have the trade stock to bring in Realmuto, and they have 2 passable catchers They need bullpen arms, not redundant pieces
I was hoping he would stay with the Sox, That’s a pretty reasonable contract for him too. Best of luck to him, except when and if the Sox face him.
Security blanket for Jansen. Now the Dodgers probably look to trim some dollars off the payroll.
As a Dodgers fan, I’m happy with this signing. This is the primary need for the Dodgers this off-season which was sorely missed in the playoffs: Relievers. Regardless what you feel about him (getting hot at the right time, inconsistent, found his 4-seamer in October, etc) I believe it is a welcome addition to a club that needs him. You can’t always wait for the biggest name or you’ll end up with the leftovers.
More convinced now that the Sox will put on the full court press for Robertson
Kelly would look good in a Cards uniform. Oh wait…
Electric arm but inconsistent
Good luck Joe
Alright now I’m cooking!! Got me a duck snort. 1-11 in the FA contest! I feel a hot streak coming!
Glad to see Kelly put it altogether in the postseason. Good deal for him.
1 quality playoff for this? I’ll take 5 era in the Dodgers pen. Horrible signing.
You are so wrong! Wait and see…
Not sure why Red Sox wouldn’t match that? Seems reasonable given what others getting
This was the diamond in the rough, great deal for Dodgers
Chavez Ravine Fight Club
Joe Kelly’s ERA was over eight for June, July, and September. He was truly awful. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to give Joe a three-year deal. Good on JK & Eovaldi for great timing and a fine pay day, but there’s a lot of hype around these two pitchers.
Ya, but in April, May, and August he appeared 37 times and gave up 3 total runs. He had 5 appearances where he pitched less than an inning and gave up 3 or more runs this season. That is a good way to inflate your ERA. I’m not saying he is at the top of the reliever hierarchy- but he gets outs and has outstanding high leverage stats throughout his career. I’ll take Kelly over Floro, Chargois, Fields, Garcia, Baez any day of the week. Definite upgrade for LA
I love the “inflated” ERA point of view. His ERA was inflated because he pitched remarkably poorly at points throughout the season. Pitchers with good ERAs avoid such stretches. The same excuses are put in place to deflect JBJ’s struggles. Sure, if we only look at a certain eight weeks of the season, JBJ has a solid MLB bat. But, the season is 162 games, not 55 games. Both are inconsistent and should be viewed as such.
Overpay.
3 years 25 mil. And kimbrel wants 9 figures and 6 years. Lmao. If hes lucky he’ll get half of what hes demanding. I cant imagine if he had that greedy leech Scott Boras as his agent Boras would demand 140 mil for 6 years and an option for a 7th year.
Too bad would of liked to see Kelly back but the Sox are already at like 237 million in pay roll and Kelly is a luxury they just can’t afford right now. They will add maybe one more reliever and that will be that. I’m guessing Herrera or maybe Britton. That’s my guess if the bullpen is a perceived weakness at the deadline then they can go get someone.
More fastballs for Posey to Hit!!
Joe Kelly: “If you can’t beat ‘em. Join ‘em.” One of my favorite Joe Kelly moments as a Cardinal was his stand-off against the Dodgers after the anthem in the playoffs. link to youtu.be
That’s too much for Jim Buchanan
Decent enough deal. 3/25 isn’t crippling – if he has figured it out after all, then it’s a bargain.
Lord knows the Dodgers need a bridge to Jansen in the worst way.
Exactly! 25 over 3 years is nothing! I really like this signing.
This is a nice signing for LA. I guessed he’d end up in LA. As a Giants fan I was hoping they’d go for Familia instead.
When he is on, fun to watch. But when he is struggling he reminds me of Bucholtz, all around the plate. Every batter has gone to a 3-2 count. Ulcer time when he that happens.
This may not look good on paper, but nobody can deny Kelly has nasty stuff. I think this is a great move by the Dodgers, and the best is yet to come for Kelly. I think they’re more likely to use him in multiple innings or high leverage situations as opposed to being used in the traditional set-up role. Doyers are a bit thin on pitching in the minors, so it’s a smart move locking him up for three years. There are definitely more moves to come!
This is an odd one for the Dodgers. Kelly is the type of pitcher they usually dig out of the spare parts pile to plug into the bullpen for a season. I have to think they could have found a similar pitcher for less than $9 million a year. This signing smells of desperation.
Well, I live in LA and I can tell you that the fans, the local sports radio (570am) are definitely desperate to get over the hump. No one in this town is celebrating two straight WS appearances, they want the ring. I actually predict they’ll sign Harper as well.
It’s not a deal without some risk but I do think Kelly has the potential to get more consistent. You know we’d be ripping him if he was better during the season and getting shelled during the postseason so give the guy some credit for being at his best when it meant the most and helping win a title
Doesn’t everyone have potential to be more consistent? Kelly’s body of work is over 600 innings. Enough to tell what he is and what he isn’t. He isn’t terrible. But the Dodgers could have found a similar pitcher for league minimum. Pedro Baez has a better statistical career and LA fans wanted him driven out of town. I am not bashing Kelly. Good for him for cashing in a nice little play-off run into $25 million bucks. But he isn’t going to give the Dodgers anything that Axford, Baez, or Stripling can’t give them for less money.
Look at what the dodgers saw from pitch usage and you’ll understand better.
Big winners of the winter so far? Evoldi and Kelly – cashing in on strong Octobers. NICE! Honorary mention, Miller for getting a team to pay him for PAST performance. Relievers cleaning up!
Past performance would be a lot more than 25 mil for Miller. If he was a free agent after the 2016 postseason he likely would have double his contract. Still a lot of money but wasn’t a lot of lefties out there
This is the only one I’ve predicted correctly so far.
Yay me.
It may just be me, but that seems like an awful lot of money for a guy that had a very mediocre season. He was really good in the playoffs, but I would not want to base projections for his 2019 season on a handful of games in the playoffs. It is not my money and the Dodgers have more money than even the Evil Empire, fully operational Death Star or not.
Its not just you. Its a lot of money for his track record BUT its not gonna break the Dodgers as you noted. Even if he does not “breakout” he should be helpful to that bullpen.
Remember Kelly’s epic postseason standoff with Van Slyke? One of the funnier moments in baseball.
Kind o pricey for a set-up guy who’s been hot-and-cold. That says, Machine Gun Kelly’s still expecting to win the Cy Young, per his own words, isn’t he? Or was that the Cy Yuck?
Between the signing bonus and his salary, he’s making $4 million he first season and $8.5 the following two. That’s a heck of a raise… The Dodgers must have a lot of faith in his ability to improve on his consistency.
What is the reason a team breaks the first season into a signing bonus plus salary? Can’t imagine it has any cap implications…
I believe the signing bonus is paid up front, a financial benefit to the player to offset the financial disadvantage of the back-loaded salary. The team is able to reduce its total salary commitment for 2019.
For the purposes of the CBT, the signing bonus is split evenly between the number of years in the contract. They are also often paid that way unless spelled out in the contract.
good signing in my book. There is no such thing as too many arms in the pen.
Still the thing I see after drooling over adding a front line SP, if even possible, is the hitting. To be candid had they hit as they did over the season its. a whole different strategy and approach for the pitchers. Pretty much the glaring flaw in the current hitting approach is how vulnerable it is to pitchers hitting their spots and batters constantly trying to hit 6-run HR every AB. Living by the HR seems to always fail when teams hit the post season.
I’m. usually pointing to the need to build up a better rotation but right now if they don’t change the team approach to hitting, I mean BUNT or do whatever you can to frustrate those little league shifts. Shouldn’t winning outweigh ego driven batters who refuse to take a basically free pass to get on base when down by a bunch of runs? Heck, that’s why Garvey learned to bunt so well…keep the defenses honest.
Horrible signing. “Well he was good against us”…. Just not many others. Great waste of money and roster spot for the dodgers. Please hurry up and sign Bryce Harper so he can bat .220 for 40 million annually for the next 15 years. Can’t wait. Lol