MLB Rumors: Kenley Jansen and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to terms on a one year deal with a club option, per multiple reports.
The 38 year old Jansen spent the 2025 season with the Anaheim Angels on a one
year, $10 million deal. He put up a 2.59 ERA, albeit with a 3.98 FIP and 3.75 xERA, as K/9 dropped to 8.7 — the first time in his career it has dropped into single digits. Given that, I imagine that Jansen is making in 2026 something around the $10 million he made last year.
Jansen seemed like someone who could possibly be of interest to the Rangers, should they want to pursue someone with closing experience. Other than his first two seasons, Jansen has been a closer for his entire career, and I suspect that he was going to prioritize signing with a team that would use him as the closer, given that he’s just 24 saves away from hitting 500 saves for his career.
Of course, the Rangers reportedly agreed to terms on a pitcher with closing experience yesterday — Alex Diaz, who logged 65 saves for the Reds from 2023-24. Diaz was terrible in 2025, of course, and wasn’t all that great in 2024, but Jansen is likely making around 5 times what Diaz will in 2026, so if you’re looking for a Temu Closer, Diaz would be your pick.
