Kenley Jansen Landing Point Projections

Not that he doesn’t have talented arms. They just weren’t enough. So it makes sense (perhaps) that GM Mike Hazen would consider adding a “background guy” to replace Paul Sewald. Wolf & Luke show on Arizona Sports).

Whoever he signs will join AJ Puk, Justin Martinez, Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply and Ryan Thompson as Arizona’s high-leverage arms. Considering Puk and Mantiply are left-handed, Hazen is likely looking right-handed. Considering neither of them have a ton of closing experience, a veteran like Jansen would be an excellent addition.

As a bonus for D-back fans, consider how much it would upset the Dodgers fan base if Jansen played a key role in the Diamondbacks taking down the Dodgers dynasty.

Chicago Cubs

Porter Hodge has been terrific for the Cubs as they near the end in 2024. He, too, is 23 years old and has just 43.0 MLB innings pitched. If the Cubs are serious about competing in 2025, another back-end bullpen arm should be at the top of Jed Hoyer’s offseason shopping list.

It’s also worth noting that Jansen could have been a uniquely valuable mentor for Hodge. Hodge is done high heart rate On the mound last season.

Jansen was also interested a heart condition throughout his career. Hodge’s situation isn’t the same, and there’s no reason to think it’s that serious, but Jansen still knows how to end ballgames with a racing heart. That’s valuable information he could potentially pass on to the 23-year-old Hodge.