Former Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen reportedly signs with Angels
BOSTON -- Former Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen has found a new home. The 37-year-old will now be closing games for the Los Angeles Angels.
Jansen is reportedly signing a one-year deal with the Angels, as first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post on Tuesday. The deal is worth $10 million, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The 2025 season will be Jansen's 16th in Major League Baseball. The Angels will be his fifth team overall and third since leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers following the 2021 season.
Kenley Jansen with the Red Sox
Jansen spent the last two seasons locking down wins for the Red Sox after signing a two-year, $32 million deal with the team in the 2022 offseason. He was an All-Star for the fourth time of his career in 2023, and finished his first season with the Red Sox with 29 saves and a 3.63 ERA over 51 appearances.
Last season, Jansen logged 27 saves in 31 opportunities for Boston to go with a 3.29 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts over 54.2 innings. But his time in Boston ended on a sour note, as Jansen left the team before the final series of the regular season. He had been shelved by a shoulder injury in the last week in September, but his early departure apparently didn't sit well with other players in the Red Sox clubhouse.
Now Jansen will look to close out games for the Los Angeles Angels as he makes a run at MLB record books.
Kenley Jansen's MLB career
Jansen has racked up 447 career saves during his time with the Dodgers, Braves, and Red Sox, and currently rank fourth on MLB's all-time saves list. He has a chance to climb up that list in 2025, sitting just 31 saves away from Lee Smith, who is third on the list with 487 saves.
Jansen likely won't catch Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601), but getting to 500 saves would certainly help his Hall of Fame résumé.
Who will be Red Sox closer in 2025?
The Red Sox will have an open competition for the closer's role in Spring Training, with Liam Hendriks, Aroldis Chapman, and Justin Slaten potential options for the ninth inning in 2025.
Hendriks has 116 saves over his 13-year career, but hasn't pitched since 2023. Chapman has 335 saves over his 15-year career, but has been primarily used as a set-up man the last several seasons. Slaten, 27, tossed 55.2 innings for Boston and had a 2.93 ERA and 1.012 WHIP over 44 games as a rookie last season.
