Fastball

Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Winner Could Retire Before 2025 Season

Joe Kelly, who was part of the 2020 and 2024 World Series-winning teams in Los Angeles, could elect to hang up his cleats as he recovers from a shoulder injury.

Brady Farkas

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly (99) delivers to the plate in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium in 2024.
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly (99) delivers to the plate in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium in 2024. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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While nothing has been determined yet, veteran reliever Joe Kelly could elect to retire this offseason.

The following report comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal, but links to recent comments that Kelly made on a podcast:

Kelly (shoulder) indicated on The Dodgers Bleed Los Podcast on Jan. 7 that he will either re-sign with the Dodgers or retire.

ANALYSIS
Kelly also revealed that he's not yet recovered from the right shoulder injury which prematurely ended his 2024 season...

We haven't heard Kelly's name come up much in free agent rumors this winter, and perhaps the lingering shoulder injury is a reason why. Now 36 years old, Kelly has spent 13 years in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Dodgers.

Lifetime, he's 54-38 with a 3.98 ERA. He's served as both a starter and reliever in his career, starting 41 games for Boston and 38 for St. Louis. A dominant set-up man at his best, he also has seven career saves.

Kelly has been part of three different World Series teams in his career: The 2018 Red Sox, the 2020 Dodgers and the 2024 Dodgers.

He has appeared in nine separate playoffs in his career. He was injured for the 2024 playoffs, but still gets a World Series ring. Kelly has been involved in multiple iconic moments during his playing days, including a brawl with the New York Yankees and his ongoing feud with the Houston Astros over the sign-stealing scandal of 2017.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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