Not many players did better for themselves in the 2018 Major League Baseball playoffs than Joe Kelly.
Kelly was sensational throughout the Boston Red Sox’s march to a World Series title, owning a 2-1 record with a 0.79 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 11 1/3 total innings. Kelly took his game to the next level in the Fall Classic, allowing just four hits over six scoreless innings.
The dominant stretch came at a perfect time for Kelly, who’s set to hit the open market when MLB free agency opens this offseason. The right-hander has experienced success as a middle reliever, but he could be looking for an elevated role out of the bullpen.
“Would I want to close? Yeah, that would be the ultimate goal for a guy in the bullpen,” Kelly told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “I wouldn’t say I need to close. That would probably limit my number of options. Some teams might want me to start. You never know. I’m open to anything.”
Red Sox fans surely were pleased when Kelly expressed his desire to stay in Boston. While money, of course, will be an important factor in his decisions, dollar signs aren’t the only thing on the 30-year-old’s mind.
“Winning. I want to be on a winning team. A team that is trying to win instead of not,” Kelly said when asked what his top priority will be. “The last three years we’ve been in the playoffs and the other two years were miserable. I’m not going to an organization where I know they aren’t putting their heart and soul into winning a World Series.”
Kelly is just one of a handful of interesting free agents coming off the Red Sox’s championship. Boston also will be forced to make decisions on Craig Kimbrel, Nathan Eovaldi and World Series MVP Steve Pearce.
