Kenley Jansen isn’t officially done with the Boston Red Sox, but it certainly feels that way. The star closer is absent as the team faces the Tampa Bay Rays in the last series of the 2024 season.
“He went home,” said manager Alex Cora, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “I spoke with him this week. After it was over two days ago, he wasn’t going to pitch. We discussed some other things going on with him, so yeah.”
Jansen last took the mound on September 22 before landing on the injured list with a sore shoulder the following day, just two days before the Red Sox were eliminated from playoff contention. This injury effectively cut his season short. However, his decision to leave raises some eyebrows.
More context may emerge to clarify Jansen’s choice to head home, but without that, it doesn’t reflect well on him. In baseball, sticking with your team until the end of the season is a basic expectation, regardless of disappointment. Jansen’s contract expires after this season, and he heads into free agency with little indication that the Red Sox will try to re-sign him. This early exit makes that even clearer.
Looking back, the failure to trade Jansen at the deadline now appears to be a significant oversight. He posted a 3.29 ERA this season, ranking sixth in saves and 10th in Win Probability Added in the American League. While he wasn’t flawless, he contributed to the Red Sox’s attempts to reach the playoffs over the last two years, even if they ultimately fell short.
As he approaches his 37th birthday, Jansen will likely seek a new opportunity to contend for a World Series title, while the Red Sox will need to find a new closer.
With the Red Sox officially out of playoff contention for the fifth time in six years, there’s plenty of blame to go around, including some directed at manager Alex Cora.
To his credit, Cora was candid about the team’s shortcomings after their 6-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. “Our goal was to make it to the playoffs,” Cora said (via Ian Browne of MLB.com). “It didn’t happen… At one point, we looked like a playoff-caliber team, but we missed our opportunity. We had it right there and blew it.”
Despite facing challenges like a struggling pitching rotation and injuries to key players like Triston Casas and Trevor Story, the 2024 Red Sox still managed to exceed expectations by remaining competitive until the end and finishing with 80 wins. However, there are no moral victories here; Cora is right in asserting that the team had a real shot at the postseason but failed to capitalize.
Cora also correctly noted that the Red Sox looked capable of making the playoffs earlier in the season, but their performance plummeted after the All-Star Break, leading to a 27-36 record. Their bullpen faltered, the starting rotation struggled, and their offense vanished when it mattered most.
This disappointing season marks a significant missed opportunity for the Red Sox, one that will weigh heavily on Cora and the team. With a wealth of promising prospects on the way, expectations are high for the Red Sox to become serious contenders in 2025. Anything less won’t be acceptable.
