Joe Kelly calls Yankees '8th- or 9th-best playoff team'

Joe Kelly didn't hold back when asked to assess the New York Yankees after their loss in the World Series.

"It was a mismatch from the get-go," Kelly said on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. "If we had a playoff reranking, they might be ranked the eighth- or ninth-best playoff team."

The Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, which included a meltdown in Game 5 when they blew an early 5-0 lead thanks in large part to sloppy defense.

Kelly, now a free agent after being unable to pitch for the Dodgers due to a shoulder injury, believes the Yankees shot themselves in the foot and said the World Series felt like an 8-seed facing a 1-seed.

"You're putting the (San Diego) Padres ahead of them, you're putting the (Philadelphia) Phillies ahead of them, you're putting the (New York) Mets ahead of them, you're putting the (Atlanta) Braves ahead of them," Kelly said.

"The (Cleveland) Guardians played like crap, but the Guardians played better defense and better baseball all around."

Among the teams Kelly mentioned, the Yankees only played the Guardians, eliminating Cleveland after five tightly contested ALCS games.

The veteran reliever believes Los Angeles was too talented to lose to the Yankees, but the team also put more emphasis on preparation than its counterparts.

"Look at the team, look at the talent," Kelly said. "We go through numerous scouting reports. We pay attention to every single detail. We have a lot of big superstars in our clubhouse, but our superstars also care and aren't lazy and play hard. That's the difference and the biggest separator."