The Boston Red Sox were officially eliminated from postseason play earlier this week, meaning that the offseason is already here despite two games remaining on the 2024 regular season schedule.
With Boston faltering down the stretch and turning what looked like a potential playoff run into another lost season, the Red Sox fanbase is eager to see what Craig Breslow and Co. will do this winter to turn Boston from a pretender into a contender.
Red Sox News: Kenley Jansen is done for the season
One player that Red Sox fans won't see next season, or for the remainder of this season, is Kenley Jansen. In a bizarre twist, Boston's closer no longer has a locker or a name plate at Fenway Park and according to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Jansen went home.
Kenley Jansen went home and his locker/nameplate were replaced at Fenway:
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) September 27, 2024
"He went home," Cora said. "I talked to him this week. As soon as it was over, two days ago, he wasn't going to pitch. There's other stuff we talked about, other stuff that's going on with him, so yeah."
No, that's not a misprint. Cora said that he and Jansen talked earlier this week, and it was decided that he wasn't going to pitch. The Red Sox skipper said other stuff was going on as well, but what that "other stuff" is, Cora did not specify.
Jansen hasn't taken the mound since September 22nd, and given that the right-hander is a free agent this offseason, the Boston faithful can't be overly shocked by his early-exit. Jansen has been linked to his old team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, for quite some time now and this latest development would suggest that he's already thinking about return to LA in 2025.
Former Red Sox executive Chaim Bloom gets bigger role with Cardinals
Former Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom will likely be getting a new title next week. A special adviser for the St. Louis Cardinals this season, Bloom is expected to have an expanded role in the Gateway City next year.
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic (subscription required), Bloom will become the Cardinals new director of player development as St. Louis looks to overhaul that department. Before coming to Boston in 2019, Bloom was well regarded for his work in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, a franchise known for drafting and developing young players.