Dodgers: 4 players that could be traded in salary dump deals

3. Joe Kelly

The Dodgers just don’t need Joe Kelley in the bullpen.

The Dodgers signing Joe Kelly after the 2018 season was a bit of a head-scratcher. They rarely pay for bullpen arms and have made it a point not to in the past (aside from Kenley Jansen). They refused to re-sign Brandon Morrow after a great year and he turned out to be a bust for the Cubs due to injuries, though he was great in the 30 games he appeared in.

That’s why it was so surprising that Kelly got a three-year, $24 million deal. And for most of his tenure as a Dodger, he’s been bad. He was really bad overall in 2019, and while he got better as the season progressed, it all evaporated when he allowed a grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the NLDS.

His 2020 campaign was better, but he appeared in just 10 innings and missed time due to injury. Then again, Kelly was able to earn the love of Dodgers fans back when he had his whole spat with the Houston Astros and forever became a baseball meme. That’s really been the peak in LA.

There are plenty of teams that need bullpen help in 2021 and $8 million is not that big of a salary to take on. Kelly and a lower-tier top-30 prospect would be more than enough to convince a team to absorb his money, and it’s not like they’d be getting a bad pitcher.

The Dodgers have the bullpen depth, especially after re-signing Blake Treinen and bringing in Tommy Kahle, Corey Knebel and Morrow. Kelly, who was already on the outside looking in, is expendable.