Rumor: Kenley Jansen Open To Returning To Red Sox In 2025 But Wants To Play For A Contender

[Brock Beauchamp]

Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that Red Sox closer and soon-to-be free agent Kenley Jansen is open to returning to the Red Sox but wants to pitch for a contender in 2025. The 36-year-old right-hander acknowledges he is in the twilight of his career and wants to make the most of his remaining years.

While Jansen is in the latter-half of his 30s, he has shown few signs of slowing down. In his two seasons with Boston, he has pitched in 102 games with a 125 ERA+ and 111 strikeouts in 96.1 innings pitched.

Given the volatility of relievers, particularly aging relievers, it's hard to predict what the free agent market will offer Jansen. He may have to settle for a one-year deal but if a desperate team aggressively pursues him, a two-year contract might be in play.

Would you bring back Jansen for 2025 and what kind of contract would you be willing to offer him?

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[notin]

Jansen will move on.  Not sure he gets his contender wish, but he will move on.  
 

I suppose he could sign with some team like Miami and be dealt to a contender in July.  Or Philly, whose closer role has been unestablished all year.

 

But I think Boston moves on and hopes for a Liam Hendriks’ comeback…

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

Jansen will move on.  Not sure he gets his contender wish, but he will move on.  

I suppose he could sign with some team like Miami and be dealt to a contender in July.  Or Philly, whose closer role has been unestablished all year.

But I think Boston moves on and hopes for a Liam Hendriks’ comeback…

I totally get the Red Sox moving on from any late-30s reliever but can they really afford to "hope" for a comeback after the bullpen's performance this season? Seems like they need to focus about securing more good arms.

[moonslav59]

I could see us make him an offer, but it would not come close to $32M/2.

Maybe $9M/1 with a team option for $6M in 2026 and a $1M buyout.

[Brock Beauchamp]

23 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I could see us make him an offer, but it would not come close to $32M/2.

Maybe $9M/1 with a team option for $6M in 2026 and a $1M buyout.

I think there’s a near-zero chance Jansen gets 2/$32m from anyone at his age. 

[notin]

27 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I totally get the Red Sox moving on from any late-30s reliever but can they really afford to "hope" for a comeback after the bullpen's performance this season? Seems like they need to focus about securing more good arms.

Can they? Probably not.  
 

But it’s already been paid for…

[Bellhorn04]

I think he and Martin are both long gone.

And I think Breslow has a a lot of work to do with the 2025 bullpen...

[mvp 78]

1/14M with a mutual option for 26 of the same terms. 

[Bellhorn04]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

1/14M with a mutual option for 26 of the same terms. 

I don't see anything there about the Sox being a contendah next year. 😉

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I don't see anything there about the Sox being a contendah next year. 😉

I was told they were a contender this year!

[Bellhorn04]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

I was told they were a contender this year!

We won't get fooled again.

[notin]

1 minute ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I think he and Martin are both long gone.

And I think Breslow has a a lot of work to do with the 2025 bullpen...

I think a lot of it is already in place.

I would suspect Hendriks and Fulmer to be joined by Whitlock, Slaten, Winckowski and Campbell.  They have some depth with options in Guerrero and Penrod.  Hopefully we’ve seen the last of Bernardino and Booser.  I would mind if Weissert followed them but he probably won’t.

 

Penrod does have the advantage of being the only lefty I named as staying.  But either way, that leaves 1 to 2 openings at most for major league deals, which presumably would both go to southpaws.  Tanner Scott and AJ Minter are the best available IMO, but likely one at most comes to Boston…

[notin]

3 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I was told they were a contender this year!

Define contender.  They’re technically still in theWC hunt…

[mvp 78]

4 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

We won't get fooled again.

(Now and then) there's a fool such as I

[mvp 78]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

Define contender.  They’re technically still in theWC hunt…

What is Kenley's definition? 

To me, they are out of it. They were in it through the end of August. Is that good enough? 

[notin]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

What is Kenley's definition? 

To me, they are out of it. They were in it through the end of August. Is that good enough? 

To me, the ship is sinking but the rats haven’t abandoned it yet.  So there’s still hope!!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

What is Kenley's definition? 

To me, they are out of it. They were in it through the end of August. Is that good enough? 

Kenley, your teammates thought they were a contender at the All-Star Break, until you returned to LA and gave up that bomb to Kike...

... and then another one to Heyward the next night... after Bernardino gave one up to Freeman, after Weisert let in the losing run -- twice -- and Horn, and Kelley, and eegaads.

Foegedaboudit.

[moonslav59]

18 minutes ago, notin said:

I think a lot of it is already in place.

I would suspect Hendriks and Fulmer to be joined by Whitlock, Slaten, Winckowski and Campbell.  They have some depth with options in Guerrero and Penrod.  Hopefully we’ve seen the last of Bernardino and Booser.  I would mind if Weissert followed them but he probably won’t.

 

Penrod does have the advantage of being the only lefty I named as staying.  But either way, that leaves 1 to 2 openings at most for major league deals, which presumably would both go to southpaws.  Tanner Scott and AJ Minter are the best available IMO, but likely one at most comes to Boston…

Unnamed lefties might be Bernardino, Booser and or Horn, but I am fully onbaord with adding a good one, this winter. I'd also like to see a RH RPer like Sewald added.

[moonslav59]

13 minutes ago, notin said:

To me, the ship is sinking but the rats haven’t abandoned it yet.  So there’s still hope!!

I just hope the ship doesn't have a big battery or sharks are circling.

[notin]

3 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Unnamed lefties might be Bernardino, Booser and or Horn, but I am fully onbaord with adding a good one, this winter. I'd also like to see a RH RPer like Sewald added.

Horn still has an option, so he’s likely to be around.

If their options don’t get picked up, Aaron Bummer and Andrew Chafin are both good LHRPs, too.  I just don’t want to see Joely return and some fringey Danny Coulombe type to follow.

 

Two from Scott, Minter, Bummer, Chafin, and Caleb Ferguson would make for a drastically improved bullpen.  And with Guerrero, Pernod, and Horn, among others, we might have actual depth…

[notin]

7 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I just hope the ship doesn't have a big battery or sharks are circling.

Hey!! No politics on the board!!

[moonslav59]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

Hey!! No politics on the board!!

I hope the rats can survive.

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Horn still has an option, so he’s likely to be around.

If their options don’t get picked up, Aaron Bummer and Andrew Chafin are both good LHRPs, too.  I just don’t want to see Joely return and some fringey Danny Coulombe type to follow.

 

Two from Scott, Minter, Bummer, Chafin, and Caleb Ferguson would make for a drastically improved bullpen.  And with Guerrero, Pernod, and Horn, among others, we might have actual depth…

I don't care about Horn's option. He's pretty horrible. I'd DFA him at the end of the season. 

[Bellhorn04]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

What is Kenley's definition? 

To me, they are out of it. They were in it through the end of August. Is that good enough? 

Since we're all such analytical types, we should be willing to agree that when your projected % of making the playoffs drops down below 20% or whatever a reasonable threshold would be, you're not really "in it" any more. 

[mvp 78]

11 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Since we're all such analytical types, we should be willing to agree that when your projected % of making the playoffs drops down below 20% or whatever a reasonable threshold would be, you're not really "in it" any more. 

20% is a decent shot IMO. Sox currently are under 3%. Last time Sox were above 20% was 8/31. 

[moonslav59]

12 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Since we're all such analytical types, we should be willing to agree that when your projected % of making the playoffs drops down below 20% or whatever a reasonable threshold would be, you're not really "in it" any more. 

I can agree with that. although miracles do happen.

I'd say we fell below 20% a while ago. We are easily under 5 or 10%, now.

[dgalehouse]

I give a lot of credit to guys like Jansen and Kimbrel ( and to a lesser extent Aroldis Chapman) who have been successful for so long doing a difficult job , with a pretty high attrition rate. But age and wear and tear take a toll. Contender or not, I think it is time to move on. There are young fireballers who can reach triple digits coming along quite frequently these days. Get one. 

[Duran Is The Man]

if he wants to play for a contender, he won't be signing with the Sox as Henry no longer cares if the Sox contend.

[Duran Is The Man]

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Since we're all such analytical types, we should be willing to agree that when your projected % of making the playoffs drops down below 20% or whatever a reasonable threshold would be, you're not really "in it" any more. 

per ESPN, the Sox playoff chances are currently at a robust 2.7%. yeah, they're done. and have been since the AS break.

[dgalehouse]

Is ESPN making book now ?   I would like to get a bet down and take a shot with those odds. My local bookie, Paul " Needle Nose" Minagge, just laughed when I asked him about it.