Kenley Jansen signs a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels
Former Red Sox reliever Kenley Jansen has found a new home.
Jansen is signing a one-year-deal with the Los Angeles Angels, worth $10 million, marking the end of his two-year tenure with the Boston Red Sox. The 36-year-old reliever has been nearing the end of his career for a few years, but he still had an effective role in Boston.
Jon Heyman first reported news of Jansen’s deal. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic later confirmed that it’s a one-year deal for $10 million.
In 2024, Jansen registered a 4-2 record, a 3.29 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and 27 saves, as he was often used in a closer role for Boston. During his two years, Jansen appeared in 105 games, totaling 99.1 innings pitched, and a record of 7-8 with the Red Sox.
His numbers over the last few years show a noticeable regression in performance. In his 15-year career, he has played in 871 games (all as a reliever), he has 868.1 total innings pitched, for a record of 49-36, a 2.57 ERA, 1221 strikeouts, and 447 saves.
So, Jansen is not the same guy as he was in his prime years with the Dodgers (2010-2021), but he can certainly help add some depth and experience to their bullpen.
The implication of losing Jansen in Boston is not massive, but one could argue that his replacement, Aroldis Chapman — who signed a very similar one-year, $10.75 million deal with the Sox in December — is a marginal downgrade at a higher price. Chapman is the same age as Jansen with a marginally higher career ERA (2.63), slightly fewer saves (335), and a few more strikeouts (1246), but their career statistics are almost perfectly identical.
Chapman’s 2024 numbers are, again, slightly worse than Jansen’s, but again, they are eerily similar: 5-5 record, 61.2 innings pitched (a bit more than Jansen’s 54.2), 3.79 ERA, 14 saves, and 98 strikeouts.
Overall, it appears the Red Sox and Jansen viewed his role as filled with the addition of Chapman, but it also seems fair to point out that bringing Chapman in, may at best be a lateral move, if not a downgrade.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
