Let’s hope he named his price.
Reliever Joe Kelly, who signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Dodgers, is switching uniform numbers, taking No. 99 and leaving No. 17 open for new teammate Shohei Ohtani.
The digits will represent the fourth number Kelly has worn over his 12-year MLB career, having worn 58 as a rookie with the Cardinals, 56 with the Red Sox and 17 in his first go-round with the Dodgers from 2019-21 and with the White Sox the past two seasons.
He continued to wear No. 17 when he was reacquired by Los Angeles last season, going 1-0- with a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances to start his second Dodgers stint.
His wife, Ashley, announced the change in a video on Instagram in which she threw away all of Kelly’s old jerseys and draw a new one on him with a marker.
It is not yet known whether Ohtani — who wore 17 during his six seasons with the Angels — followed MLB tradition and offered to buy the number from Kelly, though it’s not as if he’s lacking the cash.
The two-way Japanese superstar and reigning AL MVP agreed to a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers as the crown jewel of the offseason.
Of course, it’s not all readily available.
It was revealed on Monday that Ohtani’s deal will included $680 million in deferred money, effectively paying him $2 million per season over the lift of the yet-to-be signed contract.
From 2034-43, after the deal ends, he’ll collect $68 million a year.
With no interest paid on the deferred money, the contract will be valued at $46 million per season by MLB for competitive balance tax purposes based on an expected four percent interest rate.
According to The Post’s Jon Heyman, Ohtani’s deferral will allow the Dodgers to further surround him with talent as he joins an annual contender that already featured Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts among its high-powered hitters.
Still, with the $2 million per year added to his estimated annual off-field earnings of $50 million, it’s pretty likely Ohtani and Kelly could have found another number that worked for them for No. 17.
