Should the Dodgers Bring Back Joe Kelly to Fortify The Bullpen? Fans Sound Off

Perhaps the largest flaw the defending World Series champions dealt with in 2024 was relief pitching.

Starting pitching was injury riddled on the road to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ eighth title, but with Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani set to take the mound in 2025 — not to mention the signing of Cy Young winner Blake Snell — L.A. seems to have a solid rotation heading into the new season.

Question marks are all over the bullpen but no clear answers present themselves. The Dodgers have been linked to Tanner Scott, but perhaps the answer is not a new Dodger, but someone who has two separate stints with the team.

Enter Joe Kelly.

He first signed with the Dodgers in 2019 and posted an ERA of 4.56 in 55 appearances along with 62 strikeouts in 51.1 innings pitched. During the postseason, Kelly was not as solid with an ERA of 23.14 in three October appearances.

After the shortened 2020 regular season, the Anaheim native redeemed himself in the eyes of Dodger fans posting an ERA of 2.45 in five postseason appearances on the way to helping the franchise win their first World Series since 1988.

Signing with the Chicago White Sox at the start of the 2022 campaign and finishing that season with a 6.08 ERA, Kelly found his way back to Los Angeles when the Dodgers traded for him at the 2023 trade deadline. He posted a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances as a Dodger.

Kelly, who will be 37 in June, remains a free agent. He did not find a spot on the Dodgers postseason roster on their way to their World Series victory this past October.

Dodgers Nation released a poll on X asking fans if the team should re-sign the right-hander and out of 3,529 total votes, almost 60 percent of fans voted “no.”

For the right price, the Dodgers could benefit from Kelly’s veteran leadership in the bullpen and his experience around the league. Kelly has an aforementioned championship ring with the Dodgers but was also a key part of the Boston Red Sox’s 2018 World Series victory against the Dodgers.

Born in Anaheim, he attended Corona High School in Corona, CA and graduated from University of California, Riverside.

Photo Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

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