Red Sox evolving trade strategy evident with latest Kenley Jansen report
By Curt Bishop
The Boston Red Sox have surprisingly outperformed expectations and are in playoff position. At 43-37, they hold the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League. For a while, their trade deadline strategy has been unclear. Even with the team in playoff contention, there has been plenty of speculation that star closer Kenley Jansen could be traded.
However, it doesn't appear that a Jansen trade is likely at the moment.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, teams that are interested in Jansen are suggesting that Boston's asking price is astronomical, which means that it's going to take a massive haul for the Red Sox to deal the veteran right-hander.
Regarding Kenley Jansen trade rumors, teams are suggesting asking price by Red Sox is currently unrealistic (which is understandable at this point of season)
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) June 26, 2024
Red Sox appear unlikely to trade Kenley Jansen
Obviously, it's still very early in the game. The month of July hasn't even begun yet, and not until later in that month do trades usually start to take place.
But as of now, it looks like the Red Sox will be in buy mode rather than sell mode, which makes sense given where they currently stand, although Jansen is on an expiring contract, and teams sometimes will trade away certain assets on expiring deals.
Right now though, the Red Sox seem inclined to keep Jansen around for the rest of the year and add some pieces around him and their other core stars.
Boston is ahead of the Kansas City Royals by a half-game for the third Wild Card spot in the American League, and Jansen has made it clear that he wants to win and do so with the Red Sox.
The 36-year-old has put together a solid season. He is 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA in his 27 appearances. He has also recorded 15 saves.
So, given that information, it seems that a trade is unlikely unless the Red Sox start to stumble a bit and fall back in the Wild Card race. They've won eight of their last 10 and appear to be trending in the right direction, so it would make sense to hold onto Jansen rather than trade him away. We'll see how things play out and if the Red Sox will ultimately choose to keep him around.
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