Dodgers sneakily sign former Brewers second-round pick to minor-league contract

Over the last two seasons, Dodgers fans have learned not to underestimate any minor-league signing or small-time trade, no matter how irrelevant they might seem at first glance. With how ineffective and/or injured the Dodgers' bullpen has been, LA has had to exhaust every option. Guys like Matt Sauer or Will Klein or Noah Davis or Yoendrys Gómez or Chris Stratton probably wouldn't have gotten innings on a team with a functional bullpen, but they got some with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers already made a small trade with the Mariners for minor league pitcher Tyler Gough, and they've thrown a signing on top of it for more depth. Per the MiLB transactions log, the Dodgers signed Brewers second-round pick Antoine Kelly to a minor league deal on Nov. 14.

Kelly was drafted in 2019 and peaked at No. 6 in the Brewers' pipeline in 2020 and 2021. He was still a ranked prospect as recently as 2024, when he sat at No. 22 in the Rangers' rankings after being traded to Texas in 2022. He was DFA'd by the Rangers in July 2024 and claimed on waivers by the Rockies. He elected minor league free agency on Nov. 6, and the Dodgers signed him a few days later.

Dodgers sign former Brewers second-round pick, Rockies top prospect Antoine Kelly to a minor-league deal

Kelly spent the first three years of his career as a starter, but the Rangers turned him into a reliever by 2023. He posted a 2.04 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023, but he completely lost it in 2024, pitching to a 9.35 ERA in Double- and Triple-A with the Rangers and Triple-A with the Rockies after he was traded. His 2025 was better, but that's not saying much. He's also been injured on-and-off since April 2024.

Clearly, there was once a lot of potential in Kelly that injuries or poor player development could've gotten in the way of, which makes him look like a bit more of a salvageable pitcher than ones that the Dodgers usually pick up.

The bullpen is LA's top priority this offseason, so they might be able to avoid needing to reach into the depths of their Triple-A bullpen for healthy arms, but Kelly could be a little bit more of a project that could yield a higher return than most.