Despite their successful record so far this season, the Boston Red Sox will struggle to finish at the top of their division, which also includes the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, both among the top three teams in the league. And with their chances of making it to the postseason dwindling, MLB insider Jon Heyman suggested that closer Kenley Jansen would prefer to play for a different team for the rest of the year..
Heyman expressed this view during a livestream on X by Bleacher Report.
“The Red Sox have a winning record now, but it seems like they are not striving to win their division, and at this point, I think he would be happy to be traded,” Heyman said. According to Heyman, Jansen had expected to join a team that would compete for the championship when he went to Boston.It's possible that the Boston Red Sox will trade Kenley Jansen to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Heyman identified Jansen as a potential trade option for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team likely to reach the postseason despite their relief corps's struggles, including giving up the seventh-most hits in the league.
Heyman suggested that Jansen could be a candidate for the Dodgers to trade for, given his history with the team and his current situation with the Red Sox. 4.18 ERA Jansen has performed well in Boston, accumulating five saves in 7.2 innings with a 2.35 ERA and 12 strikeouts. However, as the team's performance declines and injuries pile up, Jansen, a four-time All-Star and the current MLB leader in saves who has appeared in 59 postseason games, may feel out of place. A number of early injuries have derailed the team's chances of winning more games. in MLB.
It's possible that the Boston Red Sox will need to offer payroll considerations alongside Kenley Jansen in a trade.
In 2022, Jansen signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Red Sox, and if he is traded, it's likely that the Red Sox will be responsible for paying some of his salary for the rest of the season. Heyman added that if the Red Sox trade him, they will probably have to contribute to his contract costs.There was previous consideration of a reunion between Jansen and the Dodgers, as the team had looked into the possibility of bringing him back before ultimately trading outfielder Manuel Margot to the Minnesota Twins in the late offseason. During the offseason, discussions between the Dodgers and the Red Sox about a potential trade involving Margot and Jansen did not progress beyond the initial stages and eventually fell apart. If the Red Sox become more open to trading Jansen due to their decreasing chances of reaching the postseason, or if Jansen becomes more insistent on being traded, the Dodgers may need to put forward an appealing offer to secure him amidst competition from other teams. As the Boston Red Sox appear unlikely to compete for the playoffs, star closer Kenley Jansen may be wishing for a trade..
The Boston Red Sox Might Have to Offer Payroll Considerations Along With Kenley Jansen in a Trade
Jansen signed a two-year, $32 million deal with the Red Sox in 2022 and if he is traded, it seems likely that the Red Sox will be on the hook to pay some of that salary for the remainder of this season.
“He got a very good contract, so Boston, if they do trade him, probably would have to pay a little bit of that contract,” Heyman added.
The idea of a reunion between Jansen and the Dodgers is not new and the team had considered swapping outfielder Manuel Margot to bring him back before ultimately sending Margo to the Minnesota Twins in the late offseason.
“At one point in the offseason, the Dodgers engaged with the Red Sox on a possible swap that would’ve sent Margot to Boston in exchange for longtime Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen,” Juan Toribio reported for MLB.com. “Those discussions never progressed past the initial stages and fizzled out pretty quickly into the process.”
If a further drift from postseason contention pushes the Red Sox to listen on more offers for Jansen, or the pitcher’s desire to be traded bubbles over into something more demanding, the Dodgers might have to come up with an attractive package to win him amid other contenders.
