The Seattle Mariners’ rivals in Los Angeles continue to put together a busy offseason, inking potential Hall of Fame closer Kenley Jansen to a deal on Tuesday.
Buster Olney of ESPN reports that Jansen will be the closer for LA, who finished last in the American League West last season.
Kenley Jansen will be the Angels’ closer. He’s 31 saves removed from tying Lee Smith for third place on the all-time leaderboard, at 478.
Kenley Jansen will be the Angels’ closer. He’s 31 saves removed from tying Lee Smith for third place on the all-time leaderboard, at 478.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 11, 2025
In addition to Jansen, the Halos have brought in former Mariners lefty Yusei Kikuchi and longtime slugger Jorge Soler. They’ve also added veterans like Scott Kingery, Kyle Hendricks, Yoan Moncada and Travis d’Arnaud.
Jansen is one of the best relievers of all-time, compiling a 49-36 lifetime record and a 2.57 ERA. He has those 443 saves, which is fourth in history. He saved 27 games for the Boston Red Sox in 2024 and posted a 3.29 ERA.
A 15-year veteran, Jansen has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. He is a four-time All-Star who won a World Series title with the Dodgers in 2020. He led the National League in saves in both 2017 and 2022.
The Mariners and Angels will see each other 13 times in the 2025 season. If the M’s want to make the playoffs this year, they’ll need to be better than they were against the Angels in 2024. Seattle went just 5-8 against their division rivals.
Both teams report to spring training this week and open the regular season on March 27.
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