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

[Randy Red Sox]

5 hours 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.

Hendriks is already under contract for next year and will be quite a bit cheaper than Kenley.  Goodbye Kenley

[moonslav59]

I bet it wasn't 2.7% at the ASB.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, Maddie Landis said:

We have internal options for a closer if Jansen leaves.

Slaten seems like a good fit. 

The league is well past the dominant closer era. 

The bigger question is: Will the FO actually put together a legitimate rotation so the bullpen isn't taxed by the end of July? 

We are losing Jansen & Martin from a pen that sucked.

Yes, we need a rotation, first and foremost, but we need a couple pen arms, too, unless we are moving more than just Whitlock from the opening day  rotation to the pen.

If we add a lefty pen arm plus Crawford, Whit and Criswell to the pen then okay.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

9 hours ago, Maddie Landis said:

We have internal options for a closer if Jansen leaves.

Slaten seems like a good fit. 

The league is well past the dominant closer era. 

The bigger question is: Will the FO actually put together a legitimate rotation so the bullpen isn't taxed by the end of July? 

The most underrated evidence for INVESTING IN PROVEN BIG LEAGUE STARTING PITCHING that fans see -- every single summer in Boston -- ad nauseam?

The annual collapse of Red Sox bullpens has been on display since the Matt Barnes Era in the Chaim Bloom Era.

[Bellhorn04]

10 hours ago, Maddie Landis said:

We have internal options for a closer if Jansen leaves.

Slaten seems like a good fit. 

The league is well past the dominant closer era. 

The bigger question is: Will the FO actually put together a legitimate rotation so the bullpen isn't taxed by the end of July? 

Although I think every team would still love to have a closer like Emmanuel Clase.  Not easy to find of course.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

The most underrated evidence for INVESTING IN PROVEN BIG LEAGUE STARTING PITCHING that fans see -- every single summer in Boston -- ad nauseam?

The annual collapse of Red Sox bullpens has been on display since the Matt Barnes Era in the Chaim Bloom Era.

You could go back to 2018 and Kimbrell, who somehow manages to get the saves while pitching poorly down the stretch and into the playoffs. (In 2018, some were suggesting Kelly be left off the playoff roster, but the rest is history on that choice.)

[mvp 78]

7 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

You could go back to 2018 and Kimbrell, who somehow manages to get the saves while pitching poorly down the stretch and into the playoffs. (In 2018, some were suggesting Kelly be left off the playoff roster, but the rest is history on that choice.)

 

[moonslav59]

I'm glad we never re-signed him, although we could not have really done much worse than what we did without him.

[Bellhorn04]

Kimbrel has been very up and down since he left Boston.  Great for streaks, horrible for streaks.  He was in and out of the closer spot this year, now he's very much out, I think.  It's a hard game.  A very thin line between succeeding and failing at this level.   

[notin]

17 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Kimbrel has been very up and down since he left Boston.  Great for streaks, horrible for streaks.  He was in and out of the closer spot this year, now he's very much out, I think.  It's a hard game.  A very thin line between succeeding and failing at this level.   

Kimbrel had a great career but he’s 36 years old.  Father Time never loses.

Except Selma Hayek.  Father Time is clearly not winning that one…

[dgalehouse]

Kimbrel's pattern in recent years seems to be very good in the fjrst half of the season, then wearing down as the season progresses. I saw him pitch the other night. His four seamer was only hitting 92 mph.  That is an alarming drop in velocity. Indicates either something wrong physically or maybe just washed up. Either way, he should consider hanging them up.  Jansen seems to be holding up better, but I would still be hesitant to re-sign Kenley at this point of his career. 

[Bellhorn04]

I would absolutely re-sign Jansen, simply because he's a really good pitcher and he's a gamer.

But it's an expenditure that's probably not going to fit into next year's budget.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

23 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I would absolutely re-sign Jansen, simply because he's a really good pitcher and he's a gamer.

But it's an expenditure that's probably not going to fit into next year's budget.

They'll use Jansen's desire to play for a contender by offering him less money with the promise of using the difference to invest in more talent to fulfill his wishes...

[moonslav59]

21 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Kimbrel has been very up and down since he left Boston.  Great for streaks, horrible for streaks.  He was in and out of the closer spot this year, now he's very much out, I think.  It's a hard game.  A very thin line between succeeding and failing at this level.   

He was up and down that last year w BOS, too, although the 2.74 final ERA and 0.995 WHIP was still pretty damn awesome.

Start of 2018>JULY 22: 1.73 ERA (2.85 FIP)

JULY 23> end of 2018: 4.79 (3.69 FIP)

The 2018 playoffs were an adventure:

14 IP, 13 H, 8 ER, 9BB, 3 HBP, 15 K, BUT 6 saves 

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I would absolutely re-sign Jansen, simply because he's a really good pitcher and he's a gamer.

But it's an expenditure that's probably not going to fit into next year's budget.

I don't see many closers on the FA market, this winter, and we need one.

I'm not sure what it will take, of if he thinks we will be a contender, or not. I'd give him a decent offer.

[notin]

On 9/17/2024 at 9:57 PM, moonslav59 said:

We are losing Jansen & Martin from a pen that sucked.

Yes, we need a rotation, first and foremost, but we need a couple pen arms, too, unless we are moving more than just Whitlock from the opening day  rotation to the pen.

If we add a lefty pen arm plus Crawford, Whit and Criswell to the pen then okay.

The chances of Crawford being in the bulllen next year are certainly greater than the chances I am.  But not by enough to consider it a realistic option…

[notin]

1 minute ago, moonslav59 said:

I don't see many closers on the FA market, this winter, and we need one.

I'm not sure what it will take, of if he thinks we will be a contender, or not. I'd give him a decent offer.

Then look at next winter and find one on a bad team.  He will be available via trade.  Kyle Finnegan is an example.

 

But I think odds are pretty good Hendriks has the role in April, assuming he’s healthy…

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, notin said:

Then look at next winter and find one on a bad team.  He will be available via trade.  Kyle Finnegan is an example…

I'm fine with that idea. I'd be okay with 2 big trades: one for a 1 or 2 SP and one for a closer.

Then, sign a couple more pitchers.

[dgalehouse]

They should try to get one of the young, 100 mph fireballers.  There are several of them, with more coming along. They might well burn out after a couple of years, but can be very effective until then.