Joe Kelly To Red Sox? Making Case For Reunion With Ex-Boston Reliever

Will the Red Sox make a splash before Opening Day? As part of our “free agency fits” series, we’re examining whether several top players remaining on the open market make sense (or don’t make sense) as Boston builds its roster for the 2022 Major League Baseball season.

Joe Kelly became a fan-favorite over parts of five seasons with the Red Sox, and it wasn’t just for his efforts during Boston’s 2018 World Series championship. Kelly’s personality shines through both on and off the field. Of course, his 2018 brawl with New York Yankees first baseman Tyler Austin didn’t hurt his relationship with Red Sox fans either.

Suffice to say Kelly hardly needs an introduction to Red Sox fans. But what could the reliever bring to Boston if he were to return in free agency in 2022? Let’s examine.

Info
Position: Relief pitcher
Age: 33 (June 9, 1988)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 174 pounds
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

2021 stats
48 appearances, 44 innings
2-0 record, 2.86 ERA, 50 strikeouts
0.977 WHIP, 3.08 FIP, 144 ERA+
10.2 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 3.33 K/BB

Career stats
365 games, 730 2/3 innings
50-29 record, 3.83 ERA, 619 strikeouts
1.362 WHIP, 3.94 FIP, 107 ERA+
7.6 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 2.08 K/BB

Why Kelly makes sense for Red Sox:
The Red Sox certainly have some things to address when it comes to their bullpen in 2022. The group managed last season, logging a 3.99 ERA and 4.6 WAR. And while that was accomplished without Ryan Brasier, who has been an important piece of Boston’s bullpen for several seasons but missed most of 2021 due to injuries and personal reasons, and with an unusually shaky Matt Barnes, some of the key players in that effort also were lost to free agency.

Adam Ottavino is the biggest loss when it comes to the bullpen. The former New York Yankees pitcher was a reliable set-up man for Boston, and those middle-late innings are precisely where Kelly could fit in his return.

Garrett Richards and Martin Pérez, both of whom began the season as starters before they were demoted to the bullpen, had their options declined in the offseason. While they weren’t exactly high-end relievers — though Richards did come through toward the end of the season before he was injured in the American League Division Series — they still provided bullpen volume that Boston now must counter with.

In 2021, Kelly came in as early as the second inning in one instance and was used as middle relief and even a spot start in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, but largely was used in the seventh inning and beyond in the regular season.

In addition to where he falls logistically, Kelly had the statistics to hang in the Red Sox bullpen. He posted a 0.7 WAR, which would have ranked fourth among the team’s relievers in 2021.

And if you’re looking for hard-hitting baseball analysis, let’s face it. The 2021 Red Sox were fun, and that was part of their appeal amidst their near-run to the World Series. It’s hard to say Kelly wouldn’t be a culture fit here, too.

Why Kelly doesn’t make sense for Red Sox:
Yes, the Red Sox need bullpen help. But should their biggest priority really be fixing up their middle relievers?

Josh Taylor and Hirokazu Sawamura will be back, and Boston should get a full season out of Brasier. There are a myriad of other options, too, following the offseason signings of James Paxton, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill. All three should compete for a back-end rotation spot, but the others will add bullpen depth at the very least. A reunion with Kelly, or the addition of any of the bullpen pieces available on the market, might just be unnecessary.

Verdict: A true statistical and clubhouse fit, if Boston wants to add to the bullpen.

Prediction: Kelly returns to Dodgers.