The Los Angeles Dodgers have set a new standard for offseason acquisitions in the past few years, but perhaps there are still some players who they simply cannot acquire.
After adding the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott to their roster over the last two offseasons, the Dodgers can seemingly acquire any player they like. However, a reunion with the franchise’s all-time saves leader Kenley Jansen has been virtually ruled out by Katrina Stebbins of Dodgers Way.
Jansen, who is a free agent projected to earn $29 million in his next contract, recently opened the door to a reunion with the Dodgers in an interview with TMZ Sports. But the team went ahead and struck an agreement with reliever Kirby Yates instead and there might not be any remaining room for Jansen.
“(The) possibility of a Kenley Jansen reunion with (the) Dodgers seems dead after Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates signings,” Stebbins wrote. “Even though the Dodgers are clearly never done, even when everyone thinks they are, it’s unlikely that Jansen fits into the powerhouse picture the Dodgers are trying to create here.”
When Scott and Yates are added, the Dodgers’ bullpen will include nine names, with several players who would be closer candidates on plenty of other teams. The 37-year-old Jansen demonstrated that he still has plenty left in the tank in a strong 2024 campaign with the Boston Red Sox, but the Dodgers just don’t seem to need his services for 2025.
Instead, Jansen might find a new deal with another contending club more desperate for some additional relief arms.
“Scott had a 1.75 ERA last season, and Yates was even better at 1.17. Those are the kind of guys that the Dodgers are after, and sentimentality can only get you so far,” Stebbins added. “There’s always the opportunity for Jansen to retire as a Dodger on a one-day contract sometime in the future, but it’s unlikely that the last pitch he ever throws as a major league pitcher will be for his original team.”
No matter what else transpires this winter, Jansen will always be an iconic Dodgers closer. After 11 seasons with the team, including a 1.32 ERA, 41-save campaign in 2017, he will be welcomed back sooner or later, but perhaps not as a member of the roster.
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