4 years agoThe San Diego Padres have signed free-agent relief pitcher Keone Kela. The deal will be finalized once Kela passes a physical. Kela, who posted 24 saves for the Texas Rangers during the 2018 season, was penciled in to be the closer in Pittsburgh prior to the 2020 campaign. Those plans were derailed when Kela tested positive for COVID-19 and then was subsequently placed on the injured list due to forearm tightness. As a result, Kela appeared in only three games (two innings pitched) for the Pirates in 2020. Now with San Diego, Kela joins a very deep bullpen that includes Drew Pomeranz, Emilio Pagan, and Mark Melancon. As a result, notwithstanding his past closing experience, it is likely Kela will assume a middle-relief role with the Padres in 2021. Although Kela could potentially form part of a closer-by-committee with Melancon, Pomeranz, and Pagan, he would likely be last in the pecking order for save opportunities among those pitchers. Accordingly, Kela can be ignored in most mixed-league formats. Those managers in NL-only leagues and leagues that reward holds may wish to take a flier on Kela in the last few rounds of drafts to see how his role in San Diego shakes out early in the 2021 season.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter