Atlanta Braves Bolster Bullpen By Signing Ex-Dodger Kenley Jansen

In a stunning weekend surprise, the Atlanta Braves bolstered a powerful bullpen by signing long-time Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. The move comes just a few days after the Dodgers signed Freddie Freeman, a slugging first baseman who had spent his entire 12-year career with the Braves.

Jansen, a right-hander who has also been in the big leagues for 12 years, received a one-year, $16 million contract, the Braves announced.

A strikeout artist with a reputation for limiting hard contact, Jansen saved 38 games in 43 chances last year, posted a 2.22 earned run average, and struck out 86 batters in 69 innings – 30.9 per cent of the hitters he faced. His ERA has been below 3.00 eight times.

Jansen has topped 40 saves in three different seasons, gives Braves manager Brian Snitker a mix-and-match option for the ninth inning, where southpaw Will Smith was had 37 saves in 43 chances last season. Smith, 32, has been used as a set-up man in six of his new seasons in the majors and has agreed to return to that role in the wake of the Jansen signing.

A strong-armed Curacao native, Jansen was the starting catcher for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where he made a key defensive play in the ninth inning, but became a pitcher after he failed to hit enough to merit a major-league career. He reached the Dodgers 12 days before Freeman reached the Braves in 2010 and won a World Series ring with the Dodges 10 years later.

His arrival in Atlanta gives the Braves one of the best bullpens in baseball. In addition to Jansen, whose best pitcher is a cutter, it is loaded with hard-throwing lefties, including Tyler Matzek and A.J. Minter in addition to Smith.

Atlanta also anticipates the mid-season return of erstwhile star closer Kirby Yates, who signed a two-year, $8.25 million pact with the club last November but is still recuperating from Tommy John elbow surgery. In 2019, his last full season, he had 41 saves and 1.19 ERA for the San Diego Padres.

The Braves still have Luke Jackson, a slider specialist who enjoyed a stellar post-season for the defending World Champions, and have added Atlanta native Collin McHugh and fellow veteran Tyler Thornburg.

The signing of Jansen brings the Atlanta payroll to a club–record $185 million, according to Roster Resource but still shy of the luxury tax threshold. That could change depending upon additional roster moves, with the Braves still looking for starting pitching and outfield help. The team has been talking to World Series MVP Jorge Soler, a free agent whose July arrival from Kansas City was an enormous help in the championship run.

Atlanta already has an abundance of outfield/DH types, especially since Ronald Acuña, Jr. will be relegated to DH duties until his surgically-repaired ACL is deemed healthy enough for him to return to right field.

Also in the mix are Eddie Rosario, MVP of the NL Championship Series, plus Adam Duvall, who won a Gold Glove last year, and Marcell Ozuna, returning from a season ruined by injuries and legal problems. But the Braves traded Cristian Pache, a gifted center field prospect, to land Matt Olson from Oakland and have been linked to Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins, a swift center-fielder coming off a 30/30 season with the Orioles.

The Braves could deal the 30-year-old Smith, entering the last season of a three-year, $40 million deal. There’s a $13 million club option for 2023, however, that could prove significant if Jansen leaves Atlanta after the expiration of his one-year contract.