The Boston Red Sox's record has sat around or at .500 for much of the season. As the trade deadline nears, Boston needs to determine if it will be a buyer or a seller.
There are some players that the Red Sox plan to dish regardless of their record by the July deadline. Veteran closer Kenley Jansen is among them — he's in the last year of his contract with the club and there isn't expected to be a reunion for 2025.
Despite their significant offseason spending — and "significant" may even be an understatement — the Los Angeles Dodgers will need to recruit some help before July 30. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic believes Jansen may be able to help the Dodgers remedy their late-inning woes.
LA has used a revolving door of relievers throughout the season to get the bullpen right. Injuries also haven't helped the Dodgers' case, as the bullpen has done a lot of work with many key guys out of commission.
Rosenthal has also suggested that the Dodgers need to improve their offense in the middle of the batting order, and doing so through the outfield could be the overall best path. The Red Sox have an outfielder they could package with Jansen to make a deal with LA.
The Dodgers could trade with Red Sox for Kenley Jansen and Tyler O'Neill to give club a boost
Ken Rosenthal suggested the Dodgers could trade for Kenley Jansen:
— Boston Sports Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) May 28, 2024
“(The Dodgers) probably could use one more shutdown type to pair with Phillips in the late innings, someone perhaps, like their old friend, Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen.” (Via @TheAthletic) pic.twitter.com/5k6BOPLGoh
Tyler O'Neill made waves in his first month with Boston. His defense has been great and he still carries the team lead in homers, despite a recent offensive slump and injury. The outfielder is slashing .236/.343/.500 with an .843 OPS and ranks in the 90th percentile in walk rate. His bat and eye could help LA's outfield get on base more frequently.
O'Neill's stalling offense could potentially be credited to lingering injury issues, and the slugger was placed on the 10-day injured list to heal knee inflammation.
If the Red Sox end up sellers at the deadline and don't plan to extend O'Neill, dishing him would be the best option — Boston could collect a return for him and Jansen instead of letting them both walk for nothing, which would be an improvement on recent years' trade deadline performances.
The reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers' and MLB-leading Philadelphia Phillies' bullpens are weak points for both clubs, so there could be high demand for a closer with October experience such as Jansen. The Red Sox may be able to secure a fine return from him and O'Neill together for a team also in need of a right-handed hitting outfielder.