Red Sox All-Star closer Kenley Jansen becoming 'immune' to trade rumors
The baseball calendar is steamrolling towards the month of June, and the Red Sox are sitting in third place and just 1.5 games out of the wild card hunt.
Boston has been decimated by injuries, primarily to their pitching staff, but yet Red Sox skipper Alex Cora has his team in the thick of things.
As Boston embarks on a three-game series with the Orioles down in Baltimore, the trade winds are starting to swirl, and All-Star closer Kenley Jansen’s name is being mentioned as a prime candidate to be moved before the deadline, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“The Boston Red Sox plan to trade All-Star veteran closer Kenley Jansen by the trade deadline. He’s earning $16 million this year, and the Red Sox have no interest in bringing him back,” wrote Nightengale.
This is not the first time that Jansen has been mentioned in potential trade talks. Boston explored moving the right-hander in the offseason but had zero luck completing a trade. The Red Sox were entertaining offers but wanted teams to take on his salary.
Jansen is in the final year of his two-year, $32 million deal he signed prior to last season.
Whether or not the Red Sox are in the playoff hunt, the club appears motivated to move the veteran and move another pitcher into a closer role. The Red Sox have internal options for the ninth inning, including Chris Martin, who is a free agent at the end of the year. Boston could move Rule 5 pick Justin Slaten into the role or possibly Liam Hendriks, who is expected to return around or just after the trade deadline.
With the trade chatter surfacing, Jansen told reporters that he’s focused on the Red Sox.
“I’ve got to stay professional here,” Jansen said to reports in Baltimore on. Monday. “I’ve got a great group of young guys around here. And I want to continue to do whatever can help and help them with my wisdom. I’m going to be here and do that and be that leader for them. Like I said, I think it’s a great thing going on here. Guys are young, and this team’s going to be good very soon here. And it’s a part of the business.
“So if that’s what they’re thinking, I can’t think about that,” Jansen added. “I’ve just gotta go out there and help Boston win ballgames today. Whatever happens, happens. So that’s where I’m staying at this moment. And be day by day. Be here. Be present, loving my teammates. Help them out with anything I need to help them out with. And we go out there and win ballgames.”
Jansen has been paying attention to the trade rumors but told reporters he’s trying to ignore them.
“I think at this point, I’m kind of immune to them (trade rumors) because it happened so much this offseason,” Jansen said. “Can’t think about that, man. I’ve got a game out here to beat Baltimore and help my team win ballgames. So that’s all I can focus on today.
“It was way much more frustrating in spring training,” Jansen said. “But now, it’s a business. But the thing is, I’ve got to worry about my guys here today. How can we stay close and fight and win ballgames? Because at the end of the day, I still believe these guys could be great. ... We can win ballgames and not be the laughingstock. We’ve got a great team, a great group of guys. You can see the guys are hitting. You can see we can pitch. So we’ve just gotta keep continue to focus on that particular part.”
