The Red Sox are in need of pitching, at least that’s what manager Alex Cora told reporters before Boston’s win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.
With the Aug. 1 trade deadline looming, the Red Sox may want to reach out to the Chicago White Sox about reuniting with former Boston pitcher Joe Kelly, but according to Fansided’s Robert Murray, the Los Angeles Dodgers also have interest in the 35-year-old righty.
Kelly was activated off the injury list on July 22 after being out since July 4 with right elbow inflammation. He appeared in two games for the White Sox this week allowing one run, and one hit while walking two and striking out four of the eight batters he faced, including striking out the side against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
At 41-62 on the season and 16 games out of the wild-card race, Chicago looks like deadline sellers, with Kelly as a prime candidate to move — especially with nearly every MLB team in need of pitching help.
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He has struck out nearly a third of the batters that he has faced this season, giving him 41 strikeouts over 29 innings of work. While pitching for the Dodgers from 2019-21, Kelly posted a 3.59 ERA in just over 105 innings pitched.
The two-time World Series champion (2018 with the Red Sox and 2020 with the Dodgers) has a club option for next season at $9.5 million, allowing any team that lands him to decide if they would want to keep him or not.
If the Dodgers did trade for Kelly, he would join former teammate and ex-Red Sox utility man Kiké Hernández, who was traded to the Dodgers ending his three-year run with Boston on Tuesday.
Featured image via Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports Images
