When Kenley Jansen signed his two-year, $32 million contract with the Red Sox last winter, he knew he’d be the subject of trade talk.
Such is the nature of being a seasoned veteran joining a squad in the midst of rebuilding.
Jansen was the subject of trade speculation prior to last year’s trade deadline, and teams were clearly intrigued. Between Opening Day and the end of July, the veteran closer has a 3.15 ERA in 34 ⅓ innings with 41 strikeouts. His 38 appearances featured 32 complete games and 23 saves in 26 attempts; in May, he completed his 400th career save, becoming the eighth man in MLB history to reach the elite milestone.
At the August 1 deadline, the Red Sox were 57-50, with a 28-10 record when Jansen pitched, but they were fourth in the tightly fought American League East, nine games behind first. Leaping ahead of their divisional and Wild Card opponents was a difficult task, and Boston’s front staff did not appear to be particularly aggressive in bringing in needed reinforcements.
There has also been minimal reinforcement this offseason (though it is hard to say definitively until the following season). In terms of payroll, the Red Sox have made more subtractions than additions. During Winter Weekend earlier this month, president and CEO Sam Kennedy revealed that he expected this year’s payroll to be lower than last. Boston’s $225.7 million spend in ’23 was comfortably below the $233 million luxury tax level, allowing the Red Sox to reset their penalties after surpassing the previous year’s limit.
On a primarily youthful, club-controlled roster, Jansen’s $16MM payroll is one of the few big cuts the Red Sox can make. Perhaps they’ll send him back to Los Angeles, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman speculated earlier this month. The Dodgers have decimated traditional spending this summer, and Jansen is their all-time saves leader, so a reunion would be appropriate if the pitcher is thinking about retiring.
