Kenley Jansen, preparing for his second season as the Boston Red Sox’s closer, isn’t exactly celebrating at spring training in Fort Myers, Florida.
“You just need to feel like you have to prepare, right?” Janssen told the Boston Globe on wednesday. “So all the buzz and everything else that’s going on around me, it’s not my time to focus on that.”
Jansen has been the subject of trade rumors and hopes to bring him to a team with postseason aspirations.
The 36-year-old helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series and has a career postseason ERA of 2.20 in 65 1/3 innings.
A noise occurred. Dodgers likely to re-acquire JansenHowever, these trade talks are likely to continue throughout the season.
Boston is expected to finish last in the AL East after dismantling its roster, and Jansen is one of the few remaining pieces of a once-win-now movement.
“The vision I had then and the vision I have now are completely different,” Jansen said of his decision to sign with the Red Sox ahead of last season. “But I can’t doubt myself. It’s frustrating because there are other options, but I think it’s special to play in Boston and to be at Fenway, and I’m going to keep it that way.” I wanted to experience it.”
Jansen appeared in 51 games for the Red Sox during a disappointing season with a record of 78 wins and 84 losses.
He appears to have buyer’s remorse for signing a two-year, $32 million contract.
Left-handed veteran Chris Sale was sent to Atlanta in a shocking trade, and fellow veterans Justin Turner and James Paxton left in free agency.
This year’s spring training roster is littered with young, unproven talent that the front office hopes will take Boston to a place where it can compete on a budget.
“I understand that other teams have more salary, but it doesn’t mean they have more talent, it just takes a certain type of talent to be in the big leagues, but other rosters have more talent. We have established players, so they’re young and we have to believe that we’re on our own right now,” Jansen said.
The Boston Globe reports that Jansen could be traded for a prospect or two to relieve some of the $16 million he is owed this season.
The team also brought in Liam Hendricks, another late leverage, making Jansen’s role on the current roster even more complex.
However, that trade is not expected to take place until the start of the season, and could happen around the trade deadline.
“It’s tough,” he said. “Let’s see how the season starts.”
