Cody Snavely
As the Dodgers enter the new year with a little over a month of the offseason left, there are still rumblings about their next move. The Dodgers have wowed the baseball world by signing the best player available (Shohei Ohtani) and the best pitcher available (Yoshinobu Yamamoto) while also addressing their starting rotation. However, recent rumors would suggest that an addition to the back end of the bullpen is inevitable. One name floating around in trade rumors is former Dodger Kenley Jansen. But does a reunion make sense?
Do the Dodgers need a closer?
At the beginning of the offseason, the Dodgers had two primary goals: to sign Ohtani and address the lackluster starting rotation. As of the writing of this article, the Dodgers have firmly checked off both boxes. However, after the Dodgers inked Yamamoto to a 12-year $325 million deal, Jim Bowden of the Athletic linked the Dodgers to Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase. Sports Illustrated reporter Tom Verducci hinted at Josh Hader‘s name as a possible option a few weeks prior. What this tells me is that the Dodgers look poised to make an upgrade at the position.
The Dodgers’ interest in a closer is a little surprising since they let go of Kenley Jansen after the 2021 season. They have done a “closer by committee” rotating arms with Joe Kelly, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Brusdar Graterol, and Evan Phillips, who was the Dodgers primary closer throughout the 2023 campaign. Evan Phillips was not bad by any means, collecting 24 saves in 27 opportunities and posting a 2.05 ERA in the process.
However, the Dodgers may be trying to get Phillips back to the setup/high-leverage role that he excelled at in 2022, posting a 1.14 ERA. While a closer is a luxury to the Dodgers, the method makes sense as the ability to move Phillips to the high-leverage guy with Joe Kelly and potentially Kyle Hurt is a tough group to face.
Is Jansen the answer over Hader and Clase?
The short answer to this is no. Kenley Jansen is on the downside of his career, and while he still posted elite seasons with the Braves and Red Sox in 2022/2023, he is not the same guy as he was with LA. The most significant advantage to a Jansen reunion over Hader and Clase is the price it would cost via trade and money.
The Boston Red Sox have been rumored all offseason to be shedding salary, and that rumor was proven true with their recent Chris Sale trade. Kenley Jansen signed a 2-year $32 million deal with the Red Sox last offseason and is a prime candidate to be traded as he is a free agent at the end of 2024. With Josh Hader still eyeing a deal well over $100 million and the enormous price tag put on Clase, the Dodgers could swing an affordable deal with the Red Sox for Jansen, especially if they eat a portion of his $16 million salary.
Jansen had a respectable year in Beantown, collecting 29 saves with a 3.63 ERA and 52 SO. The Red Sox were rumored to potentially deal him last trade deadline, but nothing ever materialized. While this is not a bad season by any means, if the Dodgers can grab Josh Hader or Emmanuel Clase, they should go with either of those two over Jansen.
What would a trade look like?
If the Dodgers fail to get the frontline closer they like, and the Red Sox are willing to make another trade with the Dodgers, they could be great trade partners. One area in which the Dodgers have plenty of depth is pitching, and the Red Sox are desperate for it. The Red Sox have been rumored for every possible arm under the sun with names such as Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Logan Gilbert.
The Dodgers have controllable arms that are ready and have already made it to the big leagues. With the Dodgers’ additions of Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Yamamoto, they could trade away a few arms that won’t impact the big league level. One name the Dodgers could send over is soon-to-be 27-year-old Landon Knack.
Things didn’t end well between Jansen and the Dodgers but a reunion there makes some sense.
MassLive’s Chris Cotillo
In a hypothetical trade, the Red Sox would send Kenley Jansen closer and $8 million to the Dodgers (half of Jansen’s $16 million salary) in exchange for RHP Landon Knack. Currently, Jansen is on an underwater contract. To recuperate some value, the Red Sox will be forced to pay some of the salary, similar to the Chris Sale deal, which saw them cover $17 million of the $27 million for 2024.
Conclusion
I have made it known on DodgersBeat and the Blees Los Podcast that I am done with reunions. Whether it’s Bellinger, Kiké, Joc, or Kenley, the Dodgers should look to move on. However, if the Dodgers genuinely want to add a definitive closer to their bullpen, Jansen could be a cheap option compared to Hader and Clase. Do I think a reunion with Kenley is likely? No, but it would be a fun thought for one last ride in Dodger Blue.
