Fansided

3 Braves moves to make after losing Kenley Jansen to Red Sox

By Cody Williams

Oct 1, 2022; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) reacts with relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) after the Braves defeated the New York Mets at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2022; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) reacts with relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) after the Braves defeated the New York Mets at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Braves Kenley Jansen
Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

The Atlanta Braves had expressed interest in Kenley Jansen returning but now that he’s heading to Boston, what moves do the Braves now need to make?

Though the Atlanta Braves had hoped to bring veteran closer Kenley Jansen back in free agency this offseason after he led the team with 41 saves in the 2022 campaign, they were unsuccessful. On Wednesday, the reliever signed a two-year contract with the Red Sox, leaving the Atlanta bullpen without one of its stalwarts (though not without some ups and downs) from last season.

If there’s a silver lining for the Braves, it’s that they don’t need to find a closer. In fact, there were times at the end of last season when fans were calling for Raisel Iglesias to take over that role from Jansen after he was acquired at the trade deadline from the Angels. With that said, Atlanta most definitely can’t stand pat after missing out on re-signing Jansen.

There are some moves that Alex Anthopoulos needs to make happen for this team to compete for the World Series again as a response to losing Kenley Jansen.

3. As always, Braves top priority should be keeping Dansby Swanson

For as important as Jansen was to the club’s success last season, the top priority for the Braves in the 2022-23 offseason has always been getting Dansby Swanson back into the fold. He’s among the crop of superstar shortstops hitting free agency this offseason, though he might be slightly a notch below the top tier of Trea Turner (now on the Phillies), Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts.

Even still, he’s arguably the one piece of the core in Atlanta that hasn’t been locked up early for this team. Anthopoulos has been a wizard with the deals he’s gotten the franchise’s young talent to sign early and, thus, putting them on team-friendly deals. In the case of Swanson, though, he didn’t ink one of those deals and is coming off arguably his best season into free agency.

It is definitely a bit out of character under this current regime to pay top dollar for a player, but they tried to get Freddie Freeman before he ultimately ended up with the Dodgers and were competitive in doing so. This could be the same thing with Swanson, but the result needs to be different.

If the bullpen is going to take a slight hit by losing Jansen, the Braves must retain their start in the middle of the infield and one of the leaders on the team. He’s crucial both at the plate and with his glove and is necessary to the future of this contender remaining as bright as it could and should be.

Home/Atlanta Braves