The Los Angeles Dodgers are unlikely to make any major moves this offseason until Roki Sasaki makes his decision.
The 23-year-old free agent pitcher must sign with a Major League Baseball team before Jan. 23, and is reportedly deciding between the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays.
After Sasaki signs, the Dodgers will likely make a flurry of moves to finalize their roster.
If Sasaki picks L.A., they’ll just need to put the finishing touches on a World Series caliber roster. If he goes elsewhere, they may have another splash move in them.
One player who many Dodger fans would likely want to see back is right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly. The 36-year-old has had two stints with the Dodgers — the first from 2019-21 and the second from 2023-24.
Kelly became a fan favorite during his first stint when he got into a verbal altercation with then Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa.
With all the bad blood between the two teams stemming from the Astros’ cheating scandal in 2017, Kelly threw a pitch behind Alex Bregman and later struck out Correa to end the inning. He then made a pouty face at Correa when walking back to the dugout.
Kelly was welcomed with open arms when he was re-acquired by the Dodgers at the 2023 trade deadline. He further made himself a fan favorite when he gave up his No. 17 jersey to Shohei Ohtani last offseason.
Now, Kelly is a free agent, and was recently asked about his future plans at a fan event in an interview with Dodgers Beat. He made it known he wanted to return next season only if it was with the Dodgers
“There is only one spot we will come back to”#Dodgers free agent Joe Kelly tells @alyshadelvalle on the @BleedLosPodcast his intentions to play in LA in 2025@BBisntBoring @bradfo @SnavelyCody6
WATCH FULL INTERVIEW:https://t.co/T53af5NRw0 pic.twitter.com/5KY2jAxXGH
— DodgersBeat (@DodgersBeat) January 8, 2025
“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.”
That last part seemed to allude at a potential retirement if the Dodgers didn’t want to bring him back, and Kelly doubled down on it after.
“I am content all around. We have a good relationship. Like I said, once I am healthy, it’s kinda like Clayton (Kershaw’s) deal — there is only one spot we will come back to,” Kelly said.
“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.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 30: The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate on the trophy stand after defeating the New York Yankees 7-6 in game 5 to win the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium… More Luke Hales/Getty Images
Kelly made just 35 appearances in 2024 as he dealt with numerous injuries to his shoulder.
In May, he had a right shoulder strain that eventually landed him on the 60-day injured list. Kelly would ultimately miss 61 games before returning in the second half of the season.
Kelly then went back on the injured list with shoulder inflammation and missed another 16 games. He pitched four times in the final two weeks of the regular season, and then tweaked his shoulder before the NLDS. He didn’t pitch at all in the postseason.
Overall, Kelly has thrown 839 innings across 13 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox. He has a career 3.98 ERA and has won two World Series championships, both with L.A.
