Kenley Jansen takes stock of Red Sox start, potential trade at deadline
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Much like the Red Sox as a whole, closer Kenley Jansen has experienced an up-and-down start to the 2024 season.
Jansen boasts a respectable 3.24 ERA and has converted eight of nine save chances in 17 games so far this year. His 21 strikeouts in 16 ⅔ innings are impressive. But there have been red flags, too, like a pretty high walk rate (5.4 BB/9) and a 6.23 ERA in nine appearances at Fenway Park. Physical issues slowed Jansen in the early weeks of the season and an uneven schedule of stops and starts has made it hard to get into a rhythm. After pitching just twice in a 12-game span between April 26 and May 5, Jansen was relied upon heavily on the last homestand, pitching five times in seven games. His save Tuesday night was his first appearance in five games on the current road trip
Looking at the complete picture, Jansen thinks he’s yet to find his stride.
“I’m in a really good physical spot now,” he said Sunday morning. “Just trying to find my consistency a little bit better out there and I’ll be fine.”
The 36-year-old Jansen, the second-oldest player on the team behind fellow reliever Chris Martin, was not shy during spring training about how he didn’t have much in the way of expectations for the 2024 Red Sox. The four-time All-Star acknowledged frustration about offseason trade rumors and the direction of the organization, going as far as to call out the “vision” of the organization in a Boston Globe interview in March. So through a little more than a quarter of the season, what has Jansen seen? A mixed bag for a team that has hovered around .500 for nearly two months.
“There’s no doubt we always have talent but I think it’s just a very young team,” Jansen said Sunday before the Red Sox won their first of three straight games. “We’re less experienced so I think it’s gonna take some time for you to see the benefits of this team. We showed some flashes here at the beginning but now we’re not playing our greatest. It’s a very young group and the more reps, they’re going to keep developing and be great in the future.
“We’ve seen a lot of good out there flashing. We’re at the point where we’re not playing our best baseball right now but as a group, we’ve just got to keep going. It’s hard for me to view how we are. It’s, ‘What can we do today?’ I just take it day by day, especially for me, pitching-wise.”
Jansen, who pitched in 10 straight postseasons from 2013 to 2022, expected that streak to continue when he signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Red Sox before last season and was disappointed that it ended. With 15 seasons under his belt, more than $150 million earned and a ton of personal accolades already accomplished (Jansen is fifth on the all-time saves list with 428), all he wants to do is win a second World Series ring. Winning one in 2020, Jansen said, only increased his desire for another.
“(We were very injured) a couple times with Dodger teams, but the good thing with them is that there are so many prospects down there that the Dodgers have. So (much) depth that we kept continuing to play and be better and win the division. You have to acknowledge, too, this is the toughest division for the last 30 years, period, in baseball. It’s gonna be tough.”
The closer has enjoyed watching some of his younger teammates step up in a big way so far this season.
“It’s awesome to watch Tanner, Kutter and Wonger (Connor Wong),” Jansen said. “Wonger is throwing guys out left and right, right now and hitting over .350. Tanner and Kutter, they’re healthy now and it seems like they’ve been learning a lot from their adversities. They’re in a good spot.”
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