Joe Kelly’s Dodgers tenure has seemingly drawn to an end, with the reliever reportedly agreeing to a two-year deal with the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Kelly, 33, spent the past three seasons in Los Angeles after signing a $25 million contract in December 2018, making 115 appearances out of the Dodgers bullpen.
He began his Dodgers tenure with an up-and-down 2019 performance, when he had a 4.56 ERA and was charged with the loss when the team fell to the Washington Nationals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
He bounced back the past two years, however, becoming a key cog on the 2020 squad that won the World Series and finishing his Dodgers career with a second consecutive sub-3.00 ERA last season.
Kelly also was a fan favorite, beloved for his “Mariachi Joe” persona — culminating when he wore a mariachi jacket to the team’s visit to the White House last year — and a memorable shouting match with the Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa during a game in 2020, when Kelly sarcastically pouted at one of the players who had been involved in the Astros sign-stealing scandal three years early.
A free agent this offseason, Kelly said during a radio appearance last month that he wanted to return to the Dodgers and that “the interest is mutual, so we got to make something happen.”
However, no reunion came to be, with Kelly becoming the latest free agency departure for a Dodgers team that also saw Max Scherzer sign with the New York Mets and Corey Seager go to the Texas Rangers.
The Dodgers’ only notable remaining free agent is closer Kenley Jansen.
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