4 former Braves that Atlanta wishes it had for 2023 postseason, 1 they're glad to avoid
By Mark Powell
If the Braves still had Kenley Jansen, there'd be no bullpen questions
Kenley Jansen left the Braves for the Boston Red Sox this past offseason. While Jansen was not elite in Boston by any means, he's still a capable closer with postseason experience. Jansen wasn't floated as a trade option around the deadline for the Sox, with president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom assuming the team would make a run. As it turns out, Boston assumed wrong, and the Sox quickly fell out of the playoff race.
Atlanta lacks pitching depth heading into the playoffs thanks to injuries. It is clearly their biggest weakness, and something the Braves must hope works in their favor. Max Fried and Kyle Wright were out half the season. Charlie Morton won't pitch in the NLDS, most likely.
With that, the bullpen must step up in their absence, though that has not been the case so far. Jansen was frustrated with the Red Sox inaction at the deadline:
"Ten straight years in the playoffs," Jansentold Audacy's Rob Bradford on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. "Frustrating. Disappointment. All come together. Not happy. To be quite honest for you, I don’t know how to play for numbers. I only know how to competing for a championship. That’s me just being honest."
With Bloom now gone, perhaps Jansen regrets leaving Atlanta in the first place.