Joe Kelly Makes Intentions Clear About Potential Return to Dodgers in Free Agency
Throughout the offseason, most of the attention surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers has been on Japanese free agent starting pitcher Roki Sasaki and the team’s efforts to bolster their bullpen.
However, one reliever is determined to remain in Los Angeles for the 2025 season — fan favorite Joe Kelly.
Kelly recently attended an autograph signing in Southern California, where he sat down for an interview with Alysha Del Valle of the Bleed Los Podcast. During the conversation, Kelly made it clear where he stands regarding his future with the Dodgers.
“Oh yeah, of course,” Kelly replied when asked if he wanted to stay in L.A. “I would blame it on my shoulder if I had to play anywhere else so I wouldn’t play.”
He added, “I am content all around. We have a good relationship. Like I said, once I am healthy, it’s kinda like Clayton’s deal, there is only one spot we will come back to. It’s either that or, you know, if my body doesn’t heal as well as it wants to, then you never know. So we’ll see.”
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Kelly, who battled recurring shoulder issues throughout the 2024 season, appeared in just 35 games and pitched 32 innings. The most significant setback came from a right posterior strain that kept him out for roughly two and a half months.
Later in the season, Kelly spent nearly three weeks on the injured list due to shoulder soreness and was ultimately unavailable for the Dodgers’ playoff push after tweaking his shoulder during a simulated game in early October, as reported by manager Dave Roberts.
Over the last five seasons, Kelly has spent time on the injured list ten times, dealing with a variety of injuries, including shoulder, elbow, and bicep issues, along with groin and hamstring strains. This season’s 60-day IL stint for a shoulder strain was his longest, and the number of injuries has raised concerns about his durability as he approaches his age-37 season.
Kelly joined the Dodgers in 2019 and posted a 4.56 ERA in 55 appearances, but he struggled in the postseason, finishing with a 23.14 ERA.
He redeemed himself in 2020, recording a 2.45 ERA in five playoff appearances and helping the Dodgers win their first World Series title since 1988. After signing with the White Sox in 2022 and posting a 6.08 ERA, Kelly returned to the Dodgers in 2023, excelling with a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances.
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Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Guano Joe is full of sh*t. Good luck and good riddance.
Well hopefully Joe
Kelly will do a $1 million dollar deal like Blake Treinen did. I remember many on sites like this commenting on That the Dodgers should not reign Blake Treinen even for the $1 million. Crazy the Dodgers would not have won the 2024 World Series without him. I say give Joe Kelly a deal with incentives he wants to retire a Dodger let’s do it.
@Chris, I agree. I’m a Joe fan. Give him a $1 million deal with incentives. As a pitcher, he is not dissimilar to Brusdar. Both throw hard with good movement, occasional command issues. So give him Graterol’s spot to start the season. By the time Graterol is ready, someone else will be injured.
Read it again. Joe said he would be like a Clayton Kershaw deal. Probably not sign until after the season starts. I just don’t see that they have a place for him, especially if they decide to throow Dustin May in the Pen… should that happen. And is they sign Scott, then it will be definitely by no to Joe.
Took me a while, but I’ve warmed to Mariachi Joe. He really seems a Dodger at heart, not just another hired gun. I’ll leave the wisdom of signing him to coaches, scouts and beancounters, er I mean front office guys, but I’d smile if he came back.
Keep him. If he’s healthy, why not? I get that in the end it’s a business and the front office has to put a good product on the field, and who can argue against the results. But Joe’s a favorite around here and we would keep him if at all possible.