Los Angeles Dodgers avoid arbitration and agrees to 1-year contract with closer Kenley Jansen

October 16, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) and catcher A.J. Ellis (17) celebrate the 6-4 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals in game five of the National League Championship Series baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

With arbitration hearings just around the corner, many players have been agreeing to contracts with their respective teams in order to avoid the name-calling process, and we can add Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen to that list.

Kenley Jansen settles with #Dodgers at $4.3 million, $25K above midpoint, to avoid arbitration.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 11, 2014

As noted by FOX’s Ken Rosenthal above, the $4.3 million number for a 1-year deal rests $25,000 above the midpoint between where the two sides stood after exchanging offers a couple of weeks ago. Jansen almost certainly deserves more than that by MLB “market standards”, and the Dodgers likely saw fit to avoid any unnecessary battle with their dominant reliever.

Other than Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel, there may not be a better closer on planet Earth than the 26-year-old Jansen. In 222.1 innings over 3+ seasons, Jansen has a career strikeout rate of an astonishing 14.05 per 9 innings, and with that, he’s been able to put up a dominant ERA of 2.10 (1.88 during the 2013 season) and 6.3 fWAR despite that relatively low workload of innings.

The 2014 season will be a big one for the Dodgers given their massive payroll, and with Jansen having the keys to the 9th inning, any lead will likely be safe for LA.

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