Kenley Jansen's entrance into the 2024-25 free agent market didn't sit well with Boston Red Sox players and fans. Maybe that's why it took the veteran until spring training to find a new team.
Jansen on Feb. 11 agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. The longtime Dodgers closer hopes to reunite with his former team before he eventually retires, but he'll settle for the neighboring squad in 2025. Angels pitchers and catchers were slated to report to spring training in Arizona on Feb. 11, the same day Jansen signed.
The 37-year-old posted two solid seasons for Boston in 2023-24, but his early departure didn't go over well with his former teammates. An injured Jansen left the Red Sox before the season ended but after they were eliminated from postseason contention — there was no chance he'd pitch again, but as one of the team's few veterans and highest-paid players, fans and teammates expected more of him.
Jansen pitched to a 3.44 ERA with 114 strikeouts, 37 walks and 56 saves in 99.1 innings over his two seasons with the Sox. He earned an All-Star nomination for his work in 2023 and, in 2024, moved into the fourth-place slot in MLB's all-time saves list with 447.
Former Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen signs one-year deal with Angels
#MLBNHotStove gives an instant reaction to the news of Kenley Jansen's reported deal with the Angels! pic.twitter.com/YpFwUBUN5G
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 11, 2025
Jansen was vocal during his tenure with the Red Sox about his hopes to pitch for a playoff team. Not only did he not get his wish by signing with the Angels, he also took a pay cut. The veteran made $16 million with Boston last season, which looks more like a postseason team now than LA does, but nothing is certain for either squad.
Jansen will bring years of experience to the Angels' young bullpen and could move into third place on the all-time saves list with 31 saves in 2025. But even if he does all that, there's a good chance Jansen will miss the postseason for a third year in a row. Hopefully, he sees Boston there without him.