Would the Boston Red Sox move on from their lone All-Star last season after a last-place finish in the historically talented American League East?
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow already has shown a propensity for making bold trades — having already dealt outfielder Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees and left-hander Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves.
Breslow could continue his fearless approach by sending a dominant hurler back to his old club.
In an effort to make New Year’s predictions, MassLive’s Chris Cotillo dove into why he sees closer Kenley Jansen heading back to the Los Angeles Dodgers via trade.
“There’s just too much smoke about this possibility, especially in the context of the Red Sox telling free agents that they are looking to shed some payroll to accommodate further additions,” Cotillo wrote Tuesday.
“There are plenty of capable relievers who can step into the closer’s role (Tanner Houck? Chris Martin? Garrett Whitlock?) without the Sox taking a major hit. Things didn’t end well between Jansen and the Dodgers but a reunion there makes some sense.”
Reports of Jansen being on the trade block have spread over the last couple of weeks. Given Breslow’s willingness to retool the roster thus far, that should not come as much of a surprise.
Jansen posted a 3.63 ERA with a 52-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .237 batting average against and a 1.28 WHIP in 44 2/3 innings in his debut season in Boston. Most notably, he went 29-for-33 in save opportunities.
The 36-year-old got the job done most of the time but was streaky and is owed $16 million next season. Breslow likely could allocate those funds elsewhere more efficiently.
As Cotillo noted, it was also reported that Boston needed to shed payroll before making a free-agent addition — likely Teoscar Hernández, who appeared to be close to signing and is now surrounded by relative silence.
If true, that is an incredibly disappointing anecdote, as it would imply that even after the luxury tax resetting, owner John Henry refuses to invest anything of significance into the club that he once cared so much about.
