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MLB free agency 2017: 5 potential teams for Kenley Jansen

By Joshua Sadlock

Oct 7, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) pitches against the Washington Nationals in the eighth inning during game one of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) pitches against the Washington Nationals in the eighth inning during game one of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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All-Star closer Kenley Jansen joins a deep closer class in MLB free agency. Which teams have a shot at signing him?

Since converting from a light-hitting minor-league catcher to a flame-throwing closer, Kenley Jansen has emerged as one of the league’s best relievers. The 29-year-old right-hander from Curacao has a 2.20 ERA in 408.2 innings since debuting in 2010. Jansen has converted 189 saves, but has blown 25 over the course of his career. In 2016, he blew six.

Jansen doesn’t have the fastball velocity to match Aroldis Chapman, but his strikeout numbers aren’t far behind. He has struck out 13.9 per nine in his career. Jansen also does a good job limiting walks, something Chapman can struggle with from time to time. His home-run rate, while not microscopic, more than gets the job done for an elite closer.

Everything adds up to Jansen receiving a contract that will top the four years and $50 million Jonathan Papelbon was given by the Phillies, a record for a closer. If Jansen signs before Chapman, he will briefly hold the record. If the Dodgers balk at making Jansen the highest-paid reliever in baseball history, he will no doubt find plenty of other suitors on the open market.

Here are five teams that have a shot at landing the dominant closer.

Oct 22, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) throws against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning of game six of the 2016 NLCS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) throws against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning of game six of the 2016 NLCS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports /

Los Angeles Dodgers

If the Dodgers aren’t the team to sign Jansen, he would become the second high-profile free agent to leave the team in two years. Zack Greinke was never given a competitive offer last winter, and elected to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Greinke’s loss didn’t hurt the Dodgers’ playoff chances, but losing Jansen might. The 2016 postseason showed us one thing — a team must have a dominant bullpen to win the World Series.

The Dodgers have thrown money around like a Silicon Valley dot com during the height of the tech bubble, and have assembled a strange cast of parts on their roster. With all of the extra starting pitching and outfield depth, one area that has been neglected has been the bullpen. The collection of middle relievers leading to Jansen has been underwhelming, to say the least. The parts all came together spectacularly in 2016, with the Dodgers leading all of baseball with a 3.35 bullpen ERA. Whether that can be maintained in 2017 remains to be seen, as middle-relief performance is one of the hardest things to predict year-to-year.

Jansen is the rock at the back of the bullpen that the Dodgers must have if they are to win a World Series during Clayton Kershaw’s tenure. If he’s not brought back, the front office will have to look elsewhere — possibly signing Chapman at a higher price. If the Dodgers want to be extremely aggressive, they could sign both, but Jansen will likely have to be willing to share save opportunities.

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