One former Boston Red Sox All-Star is one of the most underappreciated athletes available in free agency today. The free-agent bullpen market has progressed slowly, as former Red Sox All-Star Kenley Jansen remains on the open market. He had a two-year, $32 million contract with Boston and is now open for any team to acquire.
The most of the talk this offseason about the bullpen market has been about Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott, and Jeff Hoffman before he signed. Jansen has received little attention, despite posting a 3.29 ERA in 54 outings in 2024. He was an All-Star in 2023, with an overall ERA of 3.63. Jansen obviously still has something left in the tank. Where is he going, though? Michael Fisher of FanSided suggested that the Philadelphia Phillies would be a good fit.
“Veteran Kenley Jansen, now 37 years old, still has something left in the tank,” Fisher told the audience. “Phillies fans will remember him as a long-time Los Angeles Dodger and for his one-season stint with the Atlanta Braves in 2022. Jansen, a potential Hall of Fame contender, recently completed his 15th MLB season as the Boston Red Sox’s closer.
“Despite not having the high velocity that the Phillies head staff appears to want, Jansen’s bread-and-butter pitch, the cutter, remains one of the finest in the league, averaging 92.2 mph last season. With 7.9 inches of vertical break and 3.1 inches of horizontal break more than comparable pitches, the pitch he used 84.9 percent of the time in 2024 remains a weapon. According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, adding Jansen to a bullpen that already has Jordan Romano may not be a difficult sell, since he allegedly wants to join a contender, and the Phillies remain one of the strongest possibilities in that regard.
Philadelphia is certainly a contender that requires bullpen help. The bullpen imploded in the bullpen, which is perhaps the main reason they were eliminated so quickly. Perhaps they will make sense for the former Red Sox star.
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