Red Sox $32 Million All-Star In Mix For Surprising National League Club

There are a few former members of the Boston Red Sox still available right now in free agency.

Sep 12, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Spring Training is just a few weeks away at this point and there are a surprising amount of high-impact free agents available. One player who is still available in free agency is former Boston All-Star Kenley Jansen.

Jansen spent the last two seasons with the Red Sox and logged a 3.44 ERA across 105 total appearances. He was an All-Star in 2023 and logged 56 total saves with Boston. It doesn’t seem like he will be back and one team that has shown interest in him is the Chicago Cubs, according to The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney.

“The Los Angeles Dodgers can’t sign every free agent,” Sharma and Mooney said. “There is, of course, more to the strategy behind the bullpen the Chicago Cubs are trying to build. But in quick succession, the reigning World Series champs outbid the Cubs for Tanner Scott and closed in on a deal with Kirby Yates, crossing two names off Jed Hoyer’s long list of bullpen options.

“That leaves the Cubs still casting a wide net in their search for bullpen help. The group under consideration this winter, according to league sources briefed on the team’s discussions, has included Kenley Jansen, David Robertson, Ryan Pressly, Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, and Brooks Raley. For context, though, the list of relievers the Cubs have seriously evaluated easily reaches double digits.”

Chicago is an interesting team to watch out for. The Cubs had some high expectations in 2024 after poaching Craig Counsell from the Milwaukee Brewers but failed to make the postseason. Jansen had a two-year, $32 million deal with Boston but is available now.