The Dodgers hold a $12MM club option with a $4MM buyout on right-hander Joe Kelly, but Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times reports that the team is planning to pay him the buyout rather than pick up the net $8MM option. Part of the reasoning, according to Castillo, is that the biceps strain which caused Kelly to be removed from the NLCS roster is significant enough that he won’t be ready for the start of the 2022 season.
If that indeed proves to be the case, it’ll be an obvious detriment to Kelly’s free-agent stock this offseason. The 33-year-old could’ve been in position to command another multi-year deal were he at full strength, and the Dodgers would have had to give some consideration to a net $8MM decision for next year. Kelly’s first season in L.A. (2019) didn’t go as smoothly as he or the team hoped, but he’s pitched to a 2.67 ERA with a 26.3% strikeout rate and a 9.8% walk rate over the past two seasons. He averaged 98.1 mph on his heater this year — his best mark since 2018 — and also notched a career-best 11.6% swinging-strike rate.
The possible departure of Kelly is just one layer of what looks like a large amount of turnover among the Los Angeles relief corps. The Dodgers also have each of Kenley Jansen, Corey Knebel and Jimmy Nelson up for free agency this winter, and it’s unlikely that they’ll retain all of those pending free agents.
Depending on how strong an effort the Dodgers make to retain that group, the late-inning picture will look quite different for Dave Roberts & Co. Blake Treinen could step into the closer’s role for the first time since departing Oakland a few years back, while flamethrowing Brusdar Graterol would likely be in line for a higher-leverage role. The Dodgers will also hope to have former Yankees setup man Tommy Kahnle play a prominent role in 2022. He inked a two-year pact with Los Angeles last offseason, and the Dodgers knew at the time that he’d miss the 2021 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Turning back to Kelly, it remains to be seen just when he’ll be ready to go next season. If his outlook ultimately is strong enough that he can make it back to the mound relatively early in the season, he should still generate strong interest in free agency. Beyond the fact that he’s one of the hardest throwers on the free-agent market, Kelly has a lengthy track record of missing bats at a strong clip and limiting home runs at a far better level than the average reliever. Kelly has allowed just 0.63 HR/9 over the past five seasons; the league-average relief pitcher has yielded 1.20 HR/9 in that time.
Braves should sign him
So obnoxious!
Go home you’re drunk
@Acuna Matata. Buddy..I love your name. Very creative.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Braves uniform
Stop….
We trotted out Josh Tomlin and Jacob Webb during the regular season. You so sure Kelly is a bad option?
There’s no way he should be making 12m
He’s probably going to make that next year easily with a 4 million head start
With the 4m buyout, it’s possible that he can get 12m, but I wouldn’t say it’s likely
Unless he won’t be ready until middle of the season or later, 8 mil AAV for a backend, non closer bullpen arm is a pretty solid lock
Thx Scott Boras⚾️
Philly all day
Lol
please no
I’d like to see him land with the Rockies or the Pirates.
Think the Astros will be interested?
*pouty face*
Free Joe Kelly ⚾️
More like a different f word Joe Kelly
You sound hurt
HECK NO! Lol!
always looked like he was one pitch away from a nervous breakdown. Throws 98-100, and refuses to use it as an out pitch. Stats say he was solid, but never was lights out. Anyway.
For sure. Dude has 3 really good pitches and not only pitches scared, but has no clue about when to throw any of them, just never has learned and it’s not that he hasn’t had good game calling catchers in the past.. Watch him.. He thinks he knows “best” and shakes them off, only to continually throw the wrong one at the wrong time. Think the dude would eventually learn.
Took years to get him to elevate his 98+FB to begin with, used to throw (or try) lower in the zone. he’s pig headed is the main problem never broke out.
It’s a sinker, you throw it low
Not necessarily. Jansen utilized a high sinker this past season that made him much more effective. Off the top of my head, would guess that Kelly’s heat is a 4-seamer.
To the old man’s rants that tstats was responding to, Kelly would shake Smith off more when there was a man on second. It wasn’t just about disagreeing with the pitch being called.
Mostly alluring to his RSox days on shakeoffs and how he really never learned how to pitch and as for a sinker? He throws the 4 seamer 98+. The curve and slider being other 2 pitches were what meant as other 2 above average if he just knew when to throw them.
Example.. Vazquez generally doesn’t have guys shake him off that much. Watch Kelly. He will almost never take a catcher’s 1st choice, or didn’t. The backup they had at the time (Sandy Leon) was probably an even better game caller.
Kelly has nasty stuff but it just seems like he was afraid to use his best pitches when he should have. His second half of 18 was perfect and I’d love to see him back in Boston. To me his injury shouldn’t scare anyone because it guarantees he won’t be overused i. the first half. I expect though he’ll re-sign with LA for less average, two more years.
That’s because he doesn’t always have command of the fastball. Sometimes gets the yips. He actually had much better command of off speed pitches in 2021 and would throw a 2-0 curve many times when behind the count. If he could ever get more consistent command of the fastball he could be even better that the 2021 version.
going back to the red sox
I hope so….not enough good high-leveraved relievers cost us huge against Houston. I don’t think he’s worth 12MM though especially with the injury….at 6MM given his history as long as he’s pitching come July it’s a steal
They’ll probably bring him back on a much lesser deal so he can rehab with in a familiar setting
Wait…. If the Dodgers bring him back on an $8M contract after paying him a $4M buyout, does he only count $8 against their cap? I would think so. That’d be the way I’d crunch those numbers. The Dodgers get a $4M cal break, and Kelly would get his $12 M.
The more right handed relievers on the market, tre easier the call to cut a guy loose. Dodgers will run down they’d pick of that pool.
he’d still be good for the angels.
He didn’t say a single comment about the angels. Stay on topic boy
Kelly is a good pitcher. Even if he faces one or two batters. The Dodgers put him in that position to kill his arm. The least they could do is resign him for two years. I sure hope KJ staying with the Dodgers.
Kill his arm ?? Putting a reliever out there in less than 50 games and less than 50 IP is killing their arm nowadays.
Every day y’all take babying pitchers to new heights
No one pays 8-12 million for a pitcher that needs TJS. This is obviously the road he’s quite possibly headed to when the fear is six months is not enough time to recover.
Dr. Jobe, is that you?
Sign with Padres!!!
I’m sure he wants to win……..
Still might be back with the Dodgers.
White Sox, so he can face down his nemesis the Cheatros
By your logic wouldn’t he just sign with someone in the AL west so he has what 18 games against them a year? Logic is hard to comprehend for some people
Terrible signing from the start. Friedman has actually been pretty bad with FA pitchers: Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir, Joe Kelly, Coke Hamels (lolz)
I never undestood it. He was good for the RS as a middle inning guy, bu only for so long as he got paid smallish salaries. I was shocked when I heard he was going to get $25M/3. He’s not even an 8th inning guy.
Don’t forget Danny Duffy who never threw a pitch for them.
Don’t forget the guy was mentioning free agent pitchers. Duffy was a trade.
Eh, a distinction without a difference. A whole lot of Friedman’s free agents signings, trades and waiver claims for relievers have fallen pretty far short of brilliant. Kelly is a good example. The commitment the Dodgers made to him was puzzling, based on his history of mediocrity. Now they have to pay him $4M to go away.
Seemed like a knee-jerk reaction after Kelly pitched well against the Dodgers in WS and overall in postseason. He actually had a very mediocre past before the Dodgers signed him. Though he had his best season in 2021 I’m fine with Dodgers moving on. $12mm is way too much for Kelly.
He had a history of being a lot better in the postseason than in the regular season but this wasn’t a solid reason to commit an important bullpen role to him for so many seasons. Obviously he isn’t worth anywhere close to $12M but my real point here is he is only barely worth even his walk-away money.
Don’t forget Koehler who pocketed $2mm without ever throwing a regular season pitch. Seems like Friedman is not afraid of signing pitchers with Jody of injuries. To be fair most pitchers rarely have a completely clean injury history.
Get him Halos. One of the worst bullpens in the bigs has got to get better if we want to contend.
Overrated.
Get him to the AL West so he can plunk them astros once a month for the next few years.
Send him to the Yankees so he has to shave that weak little pencil moustache.
Don’t the Yankees allow mustaches?
Lol. They didn’t used to allow any facial hair. Not sure now. I’ll have to check them out next year.
Isn’t there a lot of hate between Kelly and the Yankees? Or does a couple of mill make them kiss and make up?
Nestor Cortes Jr.
Look him up.
You might learn something.
$4mil buyout, good on Joe’s Agent
$4MM buyout and will get $9MM+ on the market. May make out better than staying.
Kelly’s biceps issue needs to be clarified. Are his tendons inflamed and/or shredding or not?
Jays need bullpen help so they should target him but I doubt they bother. Probably go find some random guys and hope they stick.
That’s how good teams usually build bullpens so ya…
Mirror image of JBJ. Stretches of invincibility followed by short stretches of atrociousness. JBJ would have stretches of atrociousness followed by short stretches of MVP caliber play. They’re both probably overpaid.
Back to Boston? Joe Kelly Fight Club returns to Fenway?
A bit shocking considering he’s been pitching well. Albeit, not $12MM worthy. Perhaps he goes up the coastline to the Mariners? I’m sure Boston would like to have him.
Kelly’s not adored in the LA clubhouse, but then again, management seems inclined to keep Blake PoG so maybe that doesn’t matter
Confess, who is your contact in the Dodgers clubhouse? Or confess that you just made that up.
Just recalling past blogs and rumors among LA fans that I can’t cite. Blue Skies you’re correct in calling me out about my above comment and I actually appreciate it (Thumbs up).. He’s no doubt colorful, intelligent, opinionated (not a crime) and I was out of line.
Not out of line really, just my general reaction to rumor being reported as fact. The candor is appreciated.
What would a brewers fan know about the Dodgers clubhouse?
I brew beer in California JCL, never been to Milwaukee but hope to some day. Cheers
Money better spent on Taylor or Seager.
Taylor is worth 3 years and 30 million. He’s top 5 in the clutch. Can play anywhere. Steals bases. Hits for power. Dodgers would be crazy to let him go.
Kelly was great for the Sox in ’18 but if we never see him in a Red Sox uniform ever again i doubt many people would be disappointed.
Somehow this just seems to scream Angels to me