There is just a few weeks until pitchers and catchers update.
One former Boston Red Sox player is available for free agency and will almost certainly find a new home before Spring Training begins.
Kenley Jansen, a former Red Sox closer, is regarded as one of the finest in Major League Baseball history. In his last two seasons with Boston, he had a 3.44 ERA. He signed a two-year, $32 million contract and has certainly lived up to it. He made 56 saves and shone.
It does not appear that he will return to Boston in 2025, but any team searching for bullpen help should consider signing him. Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report suggested that the Baltimore Orioles would be a good fit for him.
“The Orioles are another team that walked away from Jeff Hoffman, and they were in on Tanner Scott before he felt the pull of the Los Angeles Dodgers,” according to Rymer. “If it’s a back-end reliever they want, they can still consider Kenley Jansen, Carlos Estévez, and David Robertson.”
Jansen is a star closer, and the Orioles’ bullpen needs to be improved. It was perhaps their biggest weakness in 2024, and acquiring Jansen right away would help. It also doesn’t helped that Félix Bautista is expected to return in 2025 after suffering an injury in 2025.
If the Orioles could sign Jansen and pair him with Bautista, opposing clubs would be concerned. If you are a Red Sox fan, you should probably be rooting against a move like this.
Time is running out with Spring Training almost here. Will Jansen sign with a club before pitchers and catchers report?
