When does a type become a fetish?
Perhaps somebody can ask Rick Hahn that whenever the White Sox officially announce the signing of Joe Kelly.
The reason the question comes to mind: Only 12 relievers last year threw at least 40 innings with a ground-ball rate above 54 percent, and a strikeout rate of at least 25 percent.
Should Kelly pass his physical -- and that's a caveat that's worth some attention, as you'll learn -- the White Sox now have three of them, with another preceding Kelly this offseason.
| Pitcher | IP | HR | GB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Bummer | 56.1 | 3 | 76.1 | 31 |
| Kendall Graveman | 56 | 3 | 54.9 | 27.5 |
| Joe Kelly | 44 | 3 | 58.9 | 27.5 |
Hahn has his reasons. Guaranteed Rate Field's reputation as a hitter-friendly park is entirely due to home runs, so limiting them becomes the quickest way to win on the run-prevention side. Meanwhile, the long ball was Liam Hendriks' lone flaw last season, and while he got a handle on it over the last two months of 2021, it makes sense to limit the number of quick-strike chances in front of him should he battle a relapse.
This aggressive pursuit of relievers only becomes a knock on Hahn should the money he's pouring into the bullpen start to hamper investments elsewhere. To that point, the White Sox probably wouldn't have paired this signing with the one-year commitment to Josh Harrison as the apparent second-base solution if they had ultimate control of the offseason's order, but I'll be talking about him later.
PERTINENT: White Sox jump into post-lockout frenzy with Joe Kelly, Josh Harrison
While it feels like Hahn can't stop acquiring relievers, a lack of internal locks has led him to search for certainty elsewhere. He traded for Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel at the deadline last summer; Tepera is a free agent, and Kimbrel has a "TRADE ME" sign taped to his back. And even if you think that Kimbrel has more in the tank and the Sox are going to find out for themselves, somebody still has to replace Michael Kopech, who is now in the rotation.
Hopefully Hahn can rest on the name-brand reliever front, because the bullpen is reaching its saturation point. If Tony La Russa isn't lying and the Sox won't indulge any six-man rotation strategies out of the gate, the Sox basically have everything they need on the staff. The leverage ladder is well-balanced with late-inning options and guys who shouldn't be taxed by long relief.
- Liam Hendriks
- Aaron Bummer
- Kendall Graveman
- Joe Kelly
- Craig Kimbrel
- Garrett Crochet
- Reynaldo López (out of options)
- José Ruíz (out of options)
Hahn said the Sox have designs on Crochet stepping into Kopech's previous role as a multi-inning weapon, which leaves recent 40-man additions like Anderson Severino and Bennett Sousa in play from that side. If Crochet doesn't have to go three innings with regularity, then Ryan Burr and his 57-percent ground-ball rate are on the outside looking in. That's decent-enough depth, especially if Kimbrel ever resumes looking like the guy the Sox thought they acquired ... although the addition of Kelly seems better suited for a Sox team (and payroll) that's putting the Nick Madrigal trade behind them.
Kelly also gives the White Sox an incredibly seasoned October competitor. He's logged 40 games and 58⅓ innings while appearing in eight different postseasons, including each of the last seven. He's pitched in three World Series and has two rings to show for it (Red Sox in 2018, Dodgers in 2020).
He hasn't always been the guy fans want to see in such situations. His arsenal has a lot to do with it. A 98-mph sinker and a curveball with 93rd-percentile spin means that he yields his share of walks, hit batters and wild pitches when his release point is off. (Hopefully all these low-living pitchers inspire Hahn to find a backup catcher who can hold the bottom of the zone and block.)
He also has a reputation for wild moments due to his intense personality. He threw behind Alex Bregman and jawed with Carlos Correa in the first meeting between the Dodgers and Astros after the banging scheme broke in 2020, earning a five-game suspension ...
... and a mural.
A couple years earlier, he ignited another bench-clearing brawl as a member of the Red Sox by drilling the Yankees' Tyler Austin after Austin slid hard into second base.
Kelly admitted that he's had to wrestle with his emotions over the years. The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya wrote about Kelly's rough upbringing, and Kelly discussed how he's had to manage his impulse control.
“I have a lot of downfalls,” Kelly said. “But my major one is going from 0 to 100 faster than I should. And I have to say sorry after it. But I will say sorry.”
Apparently he's great at making good, because while he may be a little too willing to mix it up with other teams, the people in his own clubhouse love him. Apparently La Russa wanted Kelly, although I would've chosen a different descriptor.
Tony LaRussa was driving force for #WhiteSox signing Joe Kelly.
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) March 13, 2022
Deal came together quickly.
La Russa might owe Kelly, who found La Russa's World Series ring in his glove after a first pitch in 2018. More likely, Kelly's the kind of player that La Russa would chastise in somebody else's dugout, but defend to the death in his.
If there's any question about Kelly, it's his health. His season ended in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series when he walked off the mound after 24 first-inning pitches due to upper-arm pain and numbness in his forearm, which Dr. Neal ElAttrache determined to be stemming from the musculocutaneous nerve. There were concerns that Kelly would have to miss six months, but the atrophy that accompanies some cases of nerve irritation apparently never materialized.
A different nerve issue, due to a cyst that required shoulder surgery, caused his season to start late. He pitched well in between despite an August bout of COVID-19, but that's why he was limited to 44 innings in 2021. Perhaps the uncertainty was enough for the Dodgers to decline Kelly's $12 million option, even with a hefty $4 million buyout.
If he's no worse for the wear and tear, then La Russa should be comfortable with all sorts of combinations in the back half of ballgames. If Kelly has to miss time here and there, that's what Graveman is for. And if a late-season issue carries into 2022, here's where I'll note that the deal Kelly reportedly signed -- two years and $17 million with an option according to Joel Sherman -- is roughly the same as the one the Sox gave Kelvin Herrera. This is a terrible way to end a post, but I didn't want to ruin the vibe earlier, so here we are.
