New York Mets held talks with Red Sox free agent All-Star closer
The New York Mets have been one of the most active teams this offseason, including adding outfielder Juan Soto. Outside of adding the generational talent in Soto, they’ve also added a ton of pitching to build out their rotation and revamp their bullpen.
The Mets have added high-impact free agents like Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and recently Ryne Stanek. New York brings back Stanek on a one-year deal worth $4-5 million, pending a physical, per SNY’s Andy Martino.
Before the Mets came to terms with Stanek, The Athletic reported New York had also been talking to former Red Sox All-Star closer Kenley Jansen.
“The Mets talked with free-agent reliever Kenley Jansen’s camp, according to sources briefed on the conversations,” according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon. “But Jansen’s goal of 500 saves plus his likely price tag muddied the match, people familiar with the matter said. Jansen, 37, needs 53 saves for 500, and with the Mets, he would set up for Edwin Díaz rather than pitch the ninth inning.”
Jansen spent the last two seasons as the closer for the Red Sox, where he was an All-Star in 2023. Last season, he converted 27 saves, his lowest total since the 2012 season when he was the Dodgers full-time closer.
Jansen’s Red Sox career came to an end before the regular season came to a close.
He was sent home before the Red Sox’ final series of the season against the Rays. At the end of the season, Jansen appeared on the "Baseball Isn't Boring"podcast, where Jansen told WEEI's Rob Bradford what led to his premature departure.
"Me and (Alex Cora) have a conversation, and I think we both agreed," Jansen told Bradford during his podcast appearance. "Of course, I had been dealing with my shoulder the last couple of weeks of inflammation and all that, so that's what it was. It's nothing big. We came to an agreement that I think was best to put me on the (IL) to let that shoulder recover, and that's pretty much it. And when we got eliminated, they agreed that I could go home. No biggie."
It’s unclear what kind of market Jansen has and if there’s an actual chance he could close games for a team this coming season. If Jansen is steadfast on closing games, his market will be smaller than if he was open to working the later innings for a contending team's bullpen.
