The injury that has apparently set back closer Kenley Jansen ahead of MLB‘s 2024 Spring Training won’t exactly help the Red Sox’s cause when it comes to finding a suitable trade for him, but it won’t be a dealbreaker, either. The bigger issue, according to Sean McAdam, longtime Red Sox insider and now beat reporter for MassLive, is money. Of course.
Jansen is owed the second half of his two-year, $32 million contract, and the Red Sox have little interest in paying it. Teams that have called the Red Sox about Jansen have been informed that while the Red Sox are open for business on their 36-year-old reliever, they have no interest in eating any part of his contract.
“The Red Sox have let other teams know that while they’ll listen on Kenley Jansen, and that’s obviously been the case for much of the offseason, they are not interested, at least for now, in taking back any of the $16 million he’s due,” McAdam said on the “Fenway Rundown” podcast. “They would prefer to have some team take that money off their hands and be able to give them a decent prospect or two.”
Craig Breslow (Barely) Addresses Kenley Jansen Trade Talk
There has been some chatter about potential Jansen deals throughout the winter, but no movement as of yet. Jansen was described by Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow as having ,“general lat soreness,” a decidedly vague diagnosis, though Breslow added that Jansen would be day-to-day.
Breslow spoke to reporters on Tuesday, giving them a breathless moment in which it seemed a Jansen deal was being announced.
Instead, Breslow said, according to The Athletic, “I think where we stand is he’s on this team. He is an All-Star caliber closer who’s had an incredible career and we’re happy for that. We have talented players on our team that are potentially of interest to others. But as of right now we’re excited about what he brings, what the backend of our bullpen brings and the depth that we have down there.”
Red Sox Could Wait Till Deadline for a Trade
Jansen has been exceptionally durable in his 14 seasons in the big leagues, but even with that history, his age dictates teams be a bit more careful with his health. There’s little chance that a trade for Jansen, who was 3-6 with 29 saves in 51 appearances and was an All-Star last season, will come to fruition until he at least gets back on the mound.
“We’ll see what the availability in the market is but for now, the fact that Jansen is slowed, even if it is a minor injury, even if it is something that probably isn’t going to be a long-term concern, you would think that general managers would want to see Jansen throw sometime this spring now that he has that minor setback,” McAdam said.
“I still believe that they’re going to hold onto him and maybe shop him at the deadline. I don’t think they’ll get much less at the end of July than you’d get right now.”
“I was told the Red Sox are in fact listening on [Kenley] Jansen.”
@jonmorosi weighs in on Jansen’s trade market and shares two teams expected to be in the mix for the 4x All-Star reliever, if moved. #MLBNHotStove
MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Padres and Dodgers are likely suitors for Jansen, while MLB Network insider Jon Morosi noted that the Phillies could be in the mix, too.
“They’ve made it clear they’ll at least listen,” on Jansen, McAdam said.
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Red Sox Insider Drops Major Update on Kenley Jansen Trade Talks