With both teams having massive offseasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees could enter the 2025 MLB regular season as favorites to repeat as the National League and American League pennant winners, respectively.
One member of the World Series-champion Dodgers who isn’t looking likely to be on the team again this year though is relief pitcher Joe Kelly. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s been an uneventful winter for Kelly, as the 36-year-old has continued adding to his reputation as one of the game’s biggest smack talkers.
The free agent hurler has had a lengthy back-and-forth with Yankees manager Aaron Boone this offseason following Los Angeles’ victory over New York in the 2024 Fall Classic.
With Boone recently commenting on how most of the Dodgers’ trash-talking came from players who had minimal contribution during the World Series, Kelly fired back during an interview with Rob Bradford on the latest episode of the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. Kelly, who also won a championship with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, went 1-1 with a 4.78 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 32 innings during the 2024 regular season, but didn’t take the field in the playoffs.
“(Boone’s) just so hurt. It’s so sad,” Kelly said. “When your fearless leader has fear, it’s a little tough to see. Feelings are hurt.”
The former member of the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals wasn’t done, even comparing the Bronx Bombers’ defensive collapse in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series to something you’d see in Little League. The disastrous frame included a drop by star outfielder Aaron Judge on a routine flyball and was capped by ace starting pitcher Gerrit Cole not covering first base on a grounder to the right side.
“I wonder how ground balls are going. PFPs (pitcher’s fielding practice), ground balls, the little things,” Kelly said. “I got (my son) Knox’s nine-year-old travel team, first move after a ground ball to the right side, all of them are breaking. Every single one of them. Kids that pitch once a week know to get over. They’re nine! Not one of them forgets to get over. I promise you. I know who does forget to get over, and it’s not the nine-year-olds.”
With the likes of Blake Treinen and Evan Phillips, as well as newcomers Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott expected to lead the bullpen, there probably won’t be room for Kelly to make a return to the Dodgers. The 2009 draft pick has a career record of 54-38 with a solid 3.98 ERA across 839 innings pitched (485 appearances), plus 41 games of playoff experience, so Kelly could eventually find his way onto a major-league roster in 2025.
The Anaheim native told Bradford, however, that he wouldn’t consider signing with the Yankees.
Kelly Has a Long History of Contentious Moments
This offseason’s war of words with Boone is far from the first tense exchange that Kelly has had across his 13 seasons.
During an April 2018 game with the Red Sox, he incited a benches-clearing brawl against the rival-Yankees after drilling first baseman Tyler Austin with a pitch. Austin had slid hard into Boston infielder Brock Holt earlier in the contest.
Kelly was ultimately ejected and suspended for six games. He made headlines during his suspension by attending one of his teammates’ games from the bleachers at Fenway Park.
In a late-July contest during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Kelly (then with the Dodgers) went up and in on Houston Astros stars Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa, leading to another brawl. Kelly famously mocked Correa on the field due to his reaction about being nearly hit by a pitch. The former third-round pick was suspended for eight games.
Thursday Was a Big Day For Boone
The 51-year-old Yankees manager was in the spotlight on Thursday as well, but not for dishing out harsh words toward Kelly.
As he was entering the final season of his contract, Boone instead signed a two-year extension to remain at the helm in New York.
The former longtime MLB third baseman and one-time All-Star was hired as the Yankees leader ahead of the 2018 campaign and has brought the group to the playoffs every season but 2023. After failing to make it past the ALCS in each of Boone’s first six years, New York made its first appearance in the Fall Classic since 2009 in 2024.
The 2019 AL Manager of the Year runner-up has earned both praise and criticism for his consistent regular season success and playoff shortcomings, respectively. Among those in the former group is insider and former MLB general manager Jim Bowden.
“Aaron Boone #Yankees record after 7 years of managing is a staggering 603-429 .584 with 108 overturned challenges and 39 ejections; 3 first place finishes and 3 second place finishes; 100 wins twice; 90+ wins 5 times,” Bowden wrote on social media. “His new 2yr extension will give him a decade as MGR of the Bronx Bombers. Well deserved!!”
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