Dodgers Reportedly Asked Joe Kelly to Surrender Jersey Number for Shohei Ohtani
The Dodgers reportedly spoke to the recently-signed (but not finalized yet) Joe Kelly about surrendering his No. 17 jersey for Shohei Ohtani. That report was according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“The Dodgers telephoned veteran reliever Joe Kelly this week to ask if he would surrender his uniform No. 17 to Ohtani.”
Via Bob Nightengale, USA Today
Nightengale reported the Dodgers reached out to Kelly over the phone, asking him if he’d be willing to give up No. 17 – the number Ohtani has worn for the first six years of his MLB career with the Angels.
Ohtani, of course, is still a free agent, and no credible report indicates he will definitively sign with the Dodgers. While the Dodgers reportedly remain the frontrunner, few people truly know what Ohtani is going to do – assuming Ohtani even knows himself.
This begs the question: Do the Dodgers already know something the rest of the world doesn’t?
Nightengale spoke to an anonymous GM, who wondered the same thing.
“One GM told USA TODAY Sports that the Dodgers would have no reason to request a player to change his uniform number unless they truly believed Ohtani was signing with them.”
Via Bob Nightengale, USA Today
Is it a little premature for the Dodgers to ask Kelly to change his number before officially signing Ohtani? Maybe. But they want to be 100 percent ready for Ohtani, and that means having his jersey number ready, too.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
