Former Red Sox Closer Opens Up About Free-Agent Decision

Former Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen began his MLB journey on the West Coast and for him, it was the perfect place to return in the final stages of his career.

Jansen moved on from the Red Sox this offseason after two seasons with Boston and signed a one-year, $10 million deal to join the Los Angeles Angels.

Jansen, who is fourth all-time in MLB history with 447 career saves, credited past relationships with Angels manager Ron Washington and third base coach Eric Young Jr. along with being closer to home for part of the reason behind his free agency decision.

“I never thought I’m going to be here with the Angels,” Jansen said on Rob Bradford’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “I started to get offers from other teams. Actually, the market was slow because you got to respect some starting pitchers are sitting on the market for a long time, some really good outfielders were on the market. I understand that it goes by order: the position players go, the starters go and then the relievers go.

“And then I had to make a choice of what I want to do. Being home plays huge for me, for sure this year, that I want a reset and be here. And also it was exciting to me because I see the Angels have really great arms in the bullpen. They have a young team. They are talented. … I think it was such a great fit for me to be here and be a part to help this team turn it around.”

Jansen turned in two solid campaigns with the Red Sox and even earned All-Star honors in 2023. He made 105 appearances for the Red Sox, accumulating a 3.44 ERA to go along with 56 saves.

But Jansen caught some flak from fans for how his tenure with the Red Sox ended. Jansen left the team to go home to his native Curacao prior to Boston’s final series of the season.

At the time, Jansen’s shoulder issues, which landed him on the 15-day injured list for the final week of the season, were viewed as the main reason for his early departure. But Jansen revealed there was much more to the story than that.

Jansen told Bradford he went home to be with his mother, whose declining health resulted in an extended hospital stay. Jansen also shared that his father was hospitalized during the offseason due to a stroke.

“It is what it is,” Jansen said of his exit from the Red Sox. “But I know who I am. I don’t have to speak for myself. You ask the Dodgers, you ask the Braves, you ask Boston. All that noise to me at the end, they tried to make it gossip. But to me, it don’t mean anything because I know what it is. If they want to make it the truth, fine. But at the end of the day, we all know the truth.”