Red Sox Projected to Trade $72 Million Star to Division Rival
Despite a surprising start to the 2024 season, the Boston Red Sox can’t escape their position at the center of MLB trade talk. They’ve won five of seven to start the season after a disappointing 2023.
In an April 2 column for Bleacher Report, Zachary D. Rymer speculated on right-handed pitcher Kenley Jansen’s future with the club.
He ranked the 36-year-old as the ninth-best trade chip in the MLB.
“Jansen has never had a truly bad year in 14 seasons as a major leaguer. There have been ups and downs, to be sure, but at no point has he posted a below-average ERA+,” Rymer wrote.
Jensen, a four-time All-Star, has had a shaky start to 2024, but still managed two saves in two outings. For a Red Sox team that’s projected to win 78 games, a pitcher who can still close games may be better off elsewhere.
This raises the question of where Boston could send Jensen in a potential deal. Some preseason Red Sox rumors should shed some light, as well as further speculation from Rymer.
Trade Talk Isn’t New for Jansen
It’s only Jansen’s second season with Boston, but trade talk has been the most consistent nature of his tenure with the club.
Dating back to last season’s trade deadline, up to Spring Training this year, he’s been consistently mentioned as a name to watch.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on February 8 that two West Coast teams were keeping tabs on Jansen.
The Padres and Dodgers are among candidates for Jansen,” Heyman wrote.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi added the Philadelphia Phillies into the reported mix on February 8.
Rymer, too, mentioned the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, in addition to the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers, as teams that would be “potential fits” in his April 2 column.
