Joe Kelly reportedly will play for the other Sox in 2022.
Kelly, who spent the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers after parts of five memorable seasons with the Boston Red Sox, agreed to a contract with the Chicago White Sox in free agency, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman quickly confirmed the report.
Nightengale said the deal, which is pending a physical, is for two years.
The news is slightly surprising, considering Kelly said he wanted to return to the Dodgers as recently as Feb. 24. In a local radio interview, Kelly said “interest is mutual so we got to make something happen,” as transcribed by Blake Harris of True Blue LA.
It also is disappointing for the Red Sox. While Boston never was directly linked to Kelly, a reunion could have played out well for both sides as Boston looks to add bullpen depth this offseason.
The 33-year-old pitched in 48 games in 2021 — his most since 2018 — and amassed a 2.86 ERA.
