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Boston Red Sox rumors: Team in desperate need of late inning reliever

By Sam Minton

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 24: Joe Kelly #56 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after retiring the side during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Two of the 2018 World Series at Fenway Park on October 24, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 24: Joe Kelly #56 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after retiring the side during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Two of the 2018 World Series at Fenway Park on October 24, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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With Joe Kelly signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox need for a reliever continues to increase.

Well, it seems like the Boston Red Sox have their first casualty of the offseason.

Joe Kelly is headed to Hollywood. The reliever signed a 3-year deal with the LA Dodgers worth $25 million.

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The move makes sense for Kelly. The relief pitcher is a native of southern California. Getting a nice payday was just the cherry on top.

Kelly had a pretty good season for the Red Sox last season. He was 4-2 and racked up 68 strikeouts

Joe Kelly earned this new deal in the playoffs. The reliever only allowed 2 runs in 9 postseason appearances. In the World Series, he pitched 6 innings and had 10 strikeouts and allowed 0 runs.

By heading to LA, Kelly gets to return home and maybe even get a chance to become a starter again.

Red Sox fans will always love Kelly for one reason only. He was all in on the Sox rivalry with the New York Yankees. Early on in the 2018 season, we saw Kelly get in a nice scrap with Yankees 1st baseman Tyler Austin.

Things aren’t looking good for the Red Sox bullpen. They have already lost out on Kelly and Craig Kimbrel wants a humongous deal. They need to find someone and fast.

They are still closers available for the taking. The most intriguing to me is David Robertson. Robertson was apart of the Yankees dominant bullpen with Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman.

Robertson is a veteran closer who could help the Red Sox out a lot. He has 137 career saves and a career ERA of 2.88 with 874 strikeouts. In my opinion, he is the Red Sox’s best option for a closer.

Next. Red Sox rumors: Breaking down the 2018 Winter Meetings buzz. dark

It is sad to see Joe Kelly go but he wasn’t going to get that deal in Boston. Now the Red Sox need to make a move for a reliever before the rest are scooped up.

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