Braves have major bullpen hole as top closer leaves for the Red Sox

Former Atlanta Braves closer Kenley Jansen has taken his talents to the Boston Red Sox.

Boston’s bullpen has been unreliable for quite some time. Jansen, who the Red Sox have had interest in as recently as last offseason, ought to fix the back end, at the very least.

The Sox are in rather dire need of help in the bullpen. Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock could both be moved to the starting rotation — though that hasn’t been confirmed by Alex Cora, and likely won’t be until spring training.

Both Houck and Whitlock are at the mercy of the organization’s needs. Jansen, meanwhile, knows his role.

The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers closer flirted with a potential return to LA, but in the end chose Boston.

Kenley Jansen contract: Red Sox give closer a second year

The value for top relievers has never been higher at the Winter Meetings. Jansen, a reliable closer, is a dying breed who had 41 saves and a 3.38 ERA last season with the Atlanta Braves.

While Jansen is starting to slow at this point in his career — something the Red Sox ought to keep an eye on early in the season — he remains one of the best in the sport at what he does, hence his eventual price tag in Boston.

Jansen has World Series experience, and the second year on his deal was enough to secure an agreement with the Sox. Last season’s one-year prove it deal with Atlanta paid dividends, as Jansen did show that he can still perform at an elite level out of the back end of the bullpen for a contending team.

While some Boston baseball fans question Chaim Blooms intentions — and rightly so given their inability to sign Xander Bogaerts or Rafael Devers to contract extensions — this is a sign of the Red Sox willingness to spend at positions of need.

Let’s just hope Xander is next, huh?