Jansen signed a one-year, $10 million contract last February and recorded 29 saves in 30 opportunities for the Angels while posting a 2.59 ERA over 59 innings. However, his SIERA was 3.94, as Jansen received quite a bit of luck in the form of a .195 BABIP and a beach interest of 85.2%. This luck in hitting the ball helped him avoid a lot of serious damage, despite a very high strike rate of 44.6% and a below-average run rate of 8.1%.
While Jansen’s strikeout rate of 24.4% was decent, it was also the lowest K% of his 16 MLB seasons, and even a significant drop from the 28.4% he posted for the Red Sox in 2024. Jansen’s signature cutter remains a deadly throw, but he has become increasingly reliant on the cutter in recent years, throwing it 81.4% of the time in 2025. Clearly, hitters are still struggling to fully utilize this cutter-heavy arsenal, yet Jansen isn’t having much success when combining it with his sinker or sweeper.
Given Jansen’s age (he turned 38 last September) and his shaky peripherals, one wonders if the right-hander will finally slow down after 16 Major League seasons. It creates an interesting dilemma for teams looking for help in the back-end bullpen, as no one wants to be on the hook when and if Jansen’s production eventually collapses. That said, Jansen is also one of the more experienced closers in MLB history, and he got better as the 2025 season progressed, posting a sparkling 1.02 ERA over his final 35 1/3 innings of work.
Jansen said last summer that his hope is to pitch “at leastthrough the 2029 season, although a short-term deal is clearly in store for him this winter. Before Jansen’s one-year pact with Los Angeles, his previous two trips to free agency included a two-year, $32 million deal with the Red Sox, and a one-year, $16 million deal with the Braves. Assuming he signs another one-year deal this winter, teams may find the limited risk worth it to see if Jansen can stop Father Time. for another season.
The Angels don’t have any obvious closer candidates waiting in the wings. Injuries have been limited Robert Stephenson to 10 innings during his two seasons with the Angels, while Ben Joyce missed almost the entire 2025 season due to shoulder surgery. Reid Detmers will get another chance as a starting pitcher, so while he may resurface as a bullpen candidate at some point, moving Detmers into a slot role could be a lot to ask. It appears there could be some mutual interest in a reunion, as GM Perry Minasian praised Jansen’s leadership in the clubhouse, and Jansen said he enjoyed his time pitching in Anaheim.
On the other hand, Jansen might also appreciate pitching for a team that has a better chance of competing for the postseason in 2026. While the Angels haven’t had a winning season since 2025, the Tigers have reached the ALDS in consecutive years, and upgrading a mediocre bullpen would be a step in the right direction. As much as Detroit has relied on its pitching chaos strategy, having a clear closer can help solidify things.
Will Vests performed quite well last year as the Tigers’ primary closer, but the Tigers’ interest in pitchers like Pete Fairbanks, Kyle Finneganand (before joining the Mets) Devin Williams indicates that the club is either looking to expand its roster of ninth-inning picks or Vest could be moved into a firefighter role. However, Jansen’s drop in strikeouts could be a warning sign as Detroit is particularly eager to add more swing-and-miss to its relief mix. Tigers relievers combined for just 20.1% strikeout in 2025, the second-lowest bullpen K% in all of baseball.
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