This offseason, I will be diving into the notable moves made and their impact to their individual teams and potential fantasy baseball implications.
Relief Pitcher Joe Kelly has reportedly agreed to a 3 year/$25M deal to join his opponent in the 2018 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers. I had Kelly returning to the Red Sox for 3 years and $27M in my Presidente’s 2018-2019 MLB Offseason Free Agent Predictions. The money was in line but I chose the wrong World Series team.
There is no question Kelly has electric stuff, but he has problems locating. Take a look at his past two seasons:
2017 – 58 IP, 2.79 ERA (3.49 FIP), 52 K/27 BB
2018 – 65.2 IP, 4.39 ERA (3.57 FIP), 68 K/32 BB
They show similar peripherals, but vastly different results.
But here’s a fun stat… In the past 3 years with Boston, Kelly has allowed 1 ER an 17 K/0 BB in 17.2 IP in the postseason. How’s that for showing up on the big stage?
Overall, he has the stuff and experience that the Dodgers need come October… but can he harness it? It’s not a huge risk for someone like the Dodgers, but an overpay in my opinion. For my money, I’d rather take a flier on someone like Carson Smith, David Phelps, or AJ Ramos combined for the same amount. We’ll see how it shapes up though.
Grade – B
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*Photo by Keith Allison
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