LOS ANGELES, CA—While the defending back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers have focused on improving their bullpen this offseason, they will not be considering a reunion with former fan-favorite right-hander Joe Kelly, who has finally announced his retirement.
Kelly, 37, became a free agent after the 2024 season, concluding his playing career with the Dodgers, who won the 2024 World Series by defeating the New York Yankees in five games.
Following the series, Kelly underwent right shoulder surgery, which meant he wouldn’t be ready for the 2025 Opening Day, significantly reducing his market value.
Despite his willingness to play for the Dodgers again last season, a deal never materialized; however, the two sides did come close, as the veteran right-hander pitched for the club this past summer.
Now that Kelly is starting his age-38 season, he has officially announced his retirement on the Baseball Isn’t Boring Podcast.
“Retiring is like something my grandmother did. It’s so disrespectful. I’m sorry to all you people out there watching this that work a real job, you guys deserve to retire. Athletes don’t, we just stop [expletive] playing. It’s used for people who served in the military. It’s used for people who work until 65, like they have to. They probably don’t even like their job, but they had to. So when athletes are done playing, just say congratulations; they’re no longer playing. No more retirement bull–.”
Kelly mentioned earlier this year that he was encouraged by his rehab process and no longer experienced any pain when throwing. He appeared to confirm this during a workout when he reached 95 mph on his fastball while facing batters at Cal Poly Pomona.
Kelly appeared in parts of five seasons with the Dodgers across two separate periods, posting a 9-5 record with a 3.72 ERA, 3.55 FIP, and 1.25 WHIP, averaging 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings over 147.2 innings in 161 games.
In that brief period, Kelly became a fan favorite among Dodgers supporters, thanks to his antics against Carlos Correa during the 2020 season and his iconic mariachi jacket worn at the White House in 2021.
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