Cubs Urged To Sign Red Sox Four-Time All-Star This Offseason

Where will the Red Sox All-Star go this offseason?

Jun 19, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; A member of the grounds crew wipes off the Chicago Cubs' on deck logo prior to a game against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

One player who hasn't been spoken about a lot this offseason has been Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen.

He is one of the best closers in Major League Baseball and is available on the open market. He signed a two-year, $32 million deal with Boston and it is up and it doesn't seem like he's going back to the Red Sox this offseason.

Jansen is now 37 years old, but he still had a 3.29 ERA in 2024 across 54 outings for the Red Sox. Any team with hopes of contending would be lucky to have him. Other Red Sox free agents like Nick Pivetta and Tyler O'Neill have been talked about more, but Jansen could be a big piece for a contender.

Just Baseball's Leo Morgenstern made a list of possible landing spots for Jansen and linked him to the Chicago Cubs as a hypothetical option.

"Porter Hodge was terrific as the Cubs’ closer down the stretch in 2024," Morgenstern said. "He’s also 23 years old and only has 43.0 MLB innings under his belt. If the Cubs are serious about contending in 2025, another back-end bullpen arm should be at the top of Jed Hoyer’s offseason shopping list. It’s also worth mentioning that Jansen could be a uniquely valuable mentor for Hodge. Hodge dealt with an elevated heart rate on the mound last season.

"Jansen has also dealt with a heart condition throughout his career. Hodge’s condition isn’t the same, and there’s no reason to think it’s nearly as serious, but still, Jansen knows how to close out ballgames with a racing heart. That’s valuable knowledge he can potentially pass on to the 23-year-old Hodge."

Chicago signed Craig Counsell to a historic deal last year so it doesn't seem like it wants to rebuild. Adding someone like Jansen could only help.

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