The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a busy, and expensive, offseason. At this point, it is hard to see them signing any more free agents besides Clayton Kershaw. That means some of their players will be playing against them next season.
While making predictions for the top remaining free agents, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller predicted that Joe Kelly would leave the Dodgers to join their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Angels.
“Though he’s an oft-injured, 36-year-old wild card who has been worth wins below replacement in each of the past three seasons, Kelly does have stretches where he is just unhittable, tallying 13 holds in each of 2023 and 2024,” wrote Miller. “Could be a solid seventh or eighth inning option for a bullpen that still needs work.”
Kelly has spent five seasons with the Dodgers and has made him self endeared by fans and teammates. Shohei Ohtani actually gifted Kelly’s wife a car after signing with the team. However, his time with the Dodgers may officially be over. Kelly won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2020 and then joined the Chicago White Sox in 2022. However, he found his way back to the Dodgers in 2023.
Kelly had an altercation with Carlos Correa in 2020 which quickly made him a fan-favorite amongst Dodgers fans. Kelly was not part of the Dodgers team that lost the World Series to the Houston Astros, but he understood what had been stolen from the team. The Astros were accused of stealing signs in 2017 and 2018, likely playing a role in their World Series victory over the Dodgers.
Spotrac projects Kelly to sign a one-year, $3 million deal in free agency. He has a 3.72 ERA in 161 games with the Dodgers.
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