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Report: SF Giants showing interest in All-Star closer Kenley Jansen

The SF Giants are engaged in talks with free-agent reliever Kenley Jansen, according to multiple reports. Jansen was the Dodgers longtime closer.

Marc Delucchi

Report: SF Giants showing interest in All-Star closer Kenley Jansen
Report: SF Giants showing interest in All-Star closer Kenley Jansen /
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The SF Giants have tested the market around free-agent closer Kenley Jansen, according to a pair of reports earlier this week. A three-time All-Star, Jansen is the 28th-best free agent available this offseason, and the Giants have shown interest in him, per MLB Network's Jon Morosi. Dodger Talk host David Vassegh later reported the Giants and Jansen had discussed a two-year deal.

Atlanta closer Kenley Jansen throws a pitch. (2022)
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

"Source: #SFGiants showing interest in free agent Kenley Jansen," tweeted Morosi. "Gabe Kapler and Farhan Zaidi know Kenley from their time with the #Dodgers." Vassegh followed up less than an hour later with a tweet of his own that said, "Kenley Janson and #Giants discussing 2 year contract."

Jansen, 35, has been one of the best closers in the league since 2012. A converted catcher, Jansen was an excellent contributor in the back of the Dodgers bullpen for the first 12 years of his career, amassing 350 saves over 705 innings pitched with a 2.37 ERA with the Giants biggest rival.

Last offseason, Jansen signed a one-year, $16 million deal with Atlanta. Jansen led the league with 41 saves and recorded a 3.38 ERA with 85 strikeouts and 22 walks in 65 innings. While Jansen may be hoping to remain a closer going forward, his dip in performance would make him a perfect fit in a setup role.

The Giants bullpen had plenty of ugly moments this season but seemed to stabilize in September with Camilo Doval establishing himself as one of the best closers in MLB. While several other Giants relievers had solid seasons, Jansen would immediately be a stabilizing force for manager Gabe Kapler to use in the seventh and eighth innings. He also would give the Giants an excellent backup closer option if they want to give Doval some rest or he deals with an injury.

Jansen should have a similar market to last offseason, suggesting if he is discussing a two-year deal with the Giants that it is likely on a slightly lesser average annual value than his contract with Atlanta. With that in mind, the total guarantee on a two-year deal for Jansen would likely come in the $22-$28 million range.

The SF Giants have a lot to do this offseason and adding a proven veteran reliever to help stabilize the bullpen would make sense. With that in mind, they seem to have identified former All-Star closer Kenley Jansen as a target.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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