Red Sox $32 Million All-Star Predicted To Ditch Boston For Phillies In Free Agency

Old friends in new places?

Apr 12, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A view of the helmet of Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) displaying the City Connect logo before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

It feels as though goodbye is inevitable for the Boston Red Sox and their lone 2023 All-Star.

Kenley Jansen's two-year Red Sox tenure was productive, all things considered. In addition to his All-Star selection, Jansen saved 56 of 64 opportunities in a Boston uniform. He now sits at 447 career saves, fourth on the all-time Major League Baseball leaderboard.

But the end of Jansen's season was controversial, as he left the team a week early as the Red Sox fell out of playoff contention. It may have been much ado about nothing, but at the very least, it signaled that his time with Boston was set to come to an end.

Jansen is still a very productive reliever, but entering his age-37 season, he's likely only going to pitch for a couple more seasons. Where will he go in search of save number 500?

In a recent YouTube video, content creator Robbie Hyde predicted that Jansen would sign with the Philadelphia Phillies, whose two top relievers from last season are both current free agents.

"I know everyone thinks Jansen's going to head back home to the Dodgers, but they already have a few good options there with Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, and Evan Phillips," Hyde said.

"At this point in his career, I think he wants to go to a winner, and with the Phillies potentially losing both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez, they could use a veteran guy at the back end of the bullpen, someone they can rely on."

The Phillies won 95 games a season ago, and should be in the mix for a National League pennant once again. Though they signed former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano, Jansen could conceivably become their full-time closer.

After he signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Red Sox, there's a chance Jansen could either get one or two years this time around. That likely depends on his preferences as the twilight of his career approaches, and those will also determine whether or not the Phillies are a good fit.

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