The Los Angeles Angels are signing closer Kenley Jansen of Willemstad, Curacao to a new contract. According to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, the contract is for one year and $10 million. At the age of 37, Jansen is still pitching at a very high level.
Who has Jansen played for?
Jansen is joining his fourth Major League Baseball team. He was previously with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 12 seasons (2010 to 2021), one season with the Atlanta Braves (2022). and the last two seasons with the Boston Red Sox (2023 and 2024). There is no doubt that Jansen pitched a dozen very effective seasons with the Dodgers, and now returns to southern California. However, this time he will be in Anaheim, and very close to Disneyland.
2024 MLB Statistics
This past season with the Red Sox, Jansen pitched 54 games, and had a record of four wins and two losses with an earned run average of 3.29. In 54 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 38 hits, 20 earned runs, four home runs, and 20 walks to go along with 62 strikeouts, 27 saves, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.06.
One of Jansen’s most notable performances of the season came on June 9 in a 6-4 Red Sox win over the Chicago White Sox. Jansen threw to seven batters over two innings of work, and struck out five White Sox players. As a result, he picked up his second win of the season. Jansen had a flawless June. After beating Chicago, he had eight consecutive appearances where he either got the win or save.
Other Accolades
Jansen has been an All-Star four times (three straight years with the Dodgers from 2016 to 2018 and another season with the Red Sox in 2023). He also led the National League in saves twice (41 in 2017 while with the Dodgers and 41 in 2022 while with the Braves), and won a World Series with the Dodgers in 2020.
