Ex-Cardinals Fan-Favorite Homegrown Hurler Signing With National League Foe
St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has spoken about turning his attention away from the rotation and toward the bullpen after acquiring Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson and Sonny Gray over the span of a couple of weeks.
While most of the top free-agent relievers are still available, one former Cardinals fan-favorite reportedly will be officially off the board any moment.
"Free-agent reliever Joe Kelly and the Los Angeles Dodgers are 'very close' to an agreement, according to sources familiar with the situation," FanSided's Robert Murray reported Saturday. "All indications are that a deal will get done."
Kelly posted a 4.12 ERA with a 60-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .196 batting average against and a 1.20 WHIP in 39 1/3 innings last season between the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers last season.
The 35-year-old was not exactly an All-Star but his underlying metrics were impressive -- including his 2.72 FIP. He finished the year with a 1.74 ERA in Los Angeles post-trade, kept his strikeouts up, walks down and had an elite batting average against.
Alas, the Cardinals will not have a chance to bring Kelly back to the organization. Instead, they'll have to find other ancillary pieces to bolster the bullpen. There's still a chance St. Louis could target a reunion with Jordan Hicks, or possibly even Trevor Rosenthal.
Whether they target alumni or not, the Cardinals will need to make some additions to the pitching staff on the heels of the Winter Meetings.
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