Former Dodgers Closer Kenley Jansen, Braves Agree to 1-Year, $16M Contract

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a veteran closer in Kenley Jansen.

The Braves signed him to a one-year deal.

The right-handed pitcher who was once one of the best in baseball is no longer the lights-out pitcher he was in his prime. His WAR was tied for 11th among relief pitchers.

He recorded 38 saves, a 2.22 earned run average and a 3.08 FIP for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The franchise's all-time leader in saves is a 34 year old. He has more than doubled Eric Gagne in second place, and the Dodgers have reached the National League Championship Series for the fifth time in six seasons.

Heading into the off-season, the future of Jansen with the Dodgers was unclear. Following L.A.'s NLCS exit, he acknowledged the situation was not in his hands.

"This is the only team I know. They believed in me when I was 17 years old as a catcher. And then they made me a pitcher and believed in me as a pitcher. And here I am now. It happened fast. I enjoyed this journey. And I’ll always say, whatever happens, I’ll always be a Dodger."

The 2020 world champion had a number of players hitting free agency. It was potentially a period of transition, and re-signing a closer in his mid 30s wouldn't fit in that plan.

The front office was given a lot of reasons to keep him around.

After his average cutter velocity was a career-low 90.87 mph in 2020, it climbed back to 92.58 mph. His pitch was up from 92.33 mph.

According to Baseball Savant, opposing hitters had a.265 expected weighted on- base average against the pitcher. The numbers were in the top 3 and 8 percent of MLB.

He allowed three hits, zero runs and struck out 14 batters in seven frames of work.

It is only a matter of time before the performance begins to tail off in a more noticeable way.

The.213 batting average on balls in play was the lowest ever for Jansen, so a corresponding effect could be reflected in his numbers if that regressions more to his career average.

Even though the Dodgers have maintained one of MLB's highest payrolls for years, they have their limits when it comes to spending top dollar on an aging pitcher.

Los Angeles has two candidates who can take over for Jansen as the closer.

The All-Star selection that helped him save 38 games and the electric stuff ofGraterol, meanwhile, has rediscovered the form that helped him save 38 games and make the All-Star team.

It might be better for the Dodgers to move on from Jansen now rather than re-sign him and risk seeing him experience the kind of decline that is inevitable for aging relief pitchers.

Unless otherwise stated, the Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs.