Position: RP B/T: S/R
Age: 38 (9/30/1987)
2025 Traditional Stats: 62 G, 47 GF, 0 HLD, 29 SV, 1 BS, 59 IP, 5-4, 2.59 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 57 SO, 19 BB
2025 Advanced Stats: 165 ERA+, 24.4% K%, 8.1% BB%, 3.75 xERA, 3.98 FIP, 4.04 xFIP, 1 bWAR, 0.6 fWAR

Rundown

With 476 saves, Kenley Jansen is one of the most accomplished closers in MLB history. He already has the fourth-most saves in league history, and 2026 could be the season he reaches 500 saves. Coming off a successful year as the closer for the Los Angeles Angels, he will likely be searching for a role with a team where he can earn those final 24 saves to get to 500.

Even at 38, Jansen still possesses one of the best cutters in the game. His +13 run value was only behind Drew Rasmussen last year, per Baseball Savant. With 18.8 iBV, 2.4 inches of horizontal break, and 2,602 RPM of spin last year, Jansen was able to generate a 25.3% whiff rate. Batters hit .164 with a .302 SLG against that pitch last year.

His cutter is not his only effective pitch, either. His sinker came in with plus movement at 18.9 iBV, 7.9 inches of horizontal break, and generated a 36.1% chase rate and 37.5% whiff rate. His slider came in at 83.9 MPH, almost a full 10 MPH slower than his cutter and sinker. It moves with 7.1 inches of glove side horizontal break with -3.1 inches of iBV, and while it did not generate much whiff at 25.6%, his 64% chase was elite. He also mixed in a sweeper 3.4% of the time, which generated an above-average 35.5% chase, but he only threw it in the zone 41.4% of the time, and it was his least effective pitch.

Overall, while Jansen’s pitch data looks strong, most of the under-the-hood results were around league average. His 28.6% chase rate was in the 51st percentile, his 25.8% whiff rate was in the 54th percentile, his 8.1% walk rate was in the 46th percentile, and his 8.9% barrel rate was in the 41st percentile. His 24.4% strikeout rate was in the 63rd percentile, and he does still have elite extension at 7 feet (92nd percentile), which helps his cutter and sinker play up with more perceived velocity.

This has also been the case for Jansen for a few years now. In the four years since leaving the Dodgers, Jansen has pitched to a 3.20 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with a 28.4% strikeout rate. If his cutter continues to be as elite as it has been, Jansen should be set up for another successful season in 2026.

Contract

MLB Trade Rumors did not project a contract for Jansen, but Spotrac lists his market value at one year and $13.7 million. This is in line with deals signed by Kirby Yates and Aroldis Chapman last offseason.

Recommendation: Worth Checking In

Now that Edwin Díaz has chosen another team, the Mets are in the market for more high-leverage relievers. With Devin Williams likely in the closer’s role, the Mets may be a hard sell for Jansen. The Mets could always have Williams pitch in a setup role with Jansen as the closer, but he may prefer to be on a team with less competition for the job.

The post Free Agent Profile: Kenley Jansen, RP appeared first on Metsmerized.

Kyle Finnegan

Finnegan was surprisingly non-tendered by the Nationals last offseason, but ended up re-signing with them during spring training. He posted a pedestrian 4.38 ERA in 39 innings for Washington, but pitched much better after getting traded to Detroit at the trade deadline, recording a 1.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts against four walks in 18 innings. Overall, Finnegan saved 24 games and posted a 3.47 ERA on the season, but his 3.16 xERA and 3.12 FIP indicate he got a bit unlucky. He’s entering his age-34 season, so it’s hard to envision him getting more than a one or two-year contract.

Devin Williams

Yes, Devin Williams had the worst year of his career in 2025. However, his 3.07 xERA, 2.68 FIP, and 2.95 xFIP make him look like an obvious bounce-back candidate. Williams still had a strong 34.7% strikeout rate, and his walk rate dropped below 10% for the first time since 2020. He looked more like his old self in the playoffs, tossing four scoreless innings with a 100% strand rate. Williams and David Stearns are familiar with each other from their time in Milwaukee, and perhaps Stearns gives his former closer a prove-it deal to try to get him back on track.

Brad Keller

Keller enjoyed a breakout season in his first full year as a reliever. He posted a 2.07 ERA with 75 strikeouts against 22 walks and allowed just four home runs in 69 2/3 innings. He also assumed the Cubs’ closer’s role when Daniel Palencia got injured late in the season. His average fastball velocity skyrocketed from 93.8 mph to 97.2, and his underlying metrics suggest that his performance wasn’t a fluke. Keller’s strong performance continued into the postseason, in which he allowed just one earned run and recorded two saves in 5 2/3 innings. Heading into his age-30 season, Keller will likely receive a multi-year contract to be a high-leverage reliever.

Kenley Jansen

In his age-37 season, Jansen showed few signs of age, posting a 2.59 ERA in 59 innings and going 29-for-30 in save opportunities. He was particularly great in the second half, boasting a 1.48 ERA and just a 0.616 WHIP over 24 1/3 innings. Jansen is MLB’s active saves leader at 476 and is just two saves behind Hall of Famer Lee Smith for third on the all-time saves list. Jansen’s biggest weakness was the home run ball, but he allowed just two in the second half of the season. He’s said his goal is to reach 500 career saves, and he could hit that milestone in 2026. Jansen also brings an impressive postseason résumé, ranking second behind Mariano Rivera with 20 saves and owning a 2.20 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings. Given his age, Jansen will likely get just a one-year contract, but he’s shown he can still be effective.

Michael Kopech

This is the riskiest option, as Kopech missed most of 2025 with injuries and struggled with his control in his limited sample size on the field. However, he showed off how dominant he can be down the stretch in 2024, posting a 1.13 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 24 innings and going 6-for-6 in save opportunities. Kopech was also a workhorse for Dave Roberts in the playoffs, appearing in 10 games and allowing three earned runs over nine innings. The flamethrowing righty seems like a candidate for a one-year deal to see if he can right himself, but he’s shown in the past that he has a high ceiling as a reliever.

The post Five Potential Edwin Díaz Replacements appeared first on Metsmerized.

Position: RP B/T: S/R

Age: 37 (09/30/1987)

2024 Traditional Stats: 54 G, 54 2/3 IP, 4-2, 3.29 ERA, 1.061 WHIP, 62 SO, 20 BB, 38 GF, 27 SV

2024 Advanced Stats: 130 ERA+, 28.4% SO%, 9.2% BB%, 3.24 xERA, 3.00 FIP, 4.04 xFIP, 1.4 fWAR, 1.3 bWAR

Rundown

After 12 years and 350 saves with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kenley Jansen bounced around a bit for the last three years. In 2022, he led the league with 54 games finished and 41 saves as a member of the Atlanta Braves. The following winter, Jansen signed a two-year, $32 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. He was an All-Star in 2023, pitching to a 3.63 ERA and earning 29 saves in 51 appearances. The following season was slightly better for the veteran right-hander. Jansen pitched to a 3.29 ERA in 2024, throwing 54 2/3 innings across 54 appearances. His time in Boston proved that he is still a very valuable arm in high-leverage situations.

2024 was a good year for Jansen on the whole, but his splits tell a different story. In the first half of the season, he was razor-sharp, registering a 3-1 record, 2.16 ERA, 1.080 WHIP, and 19 saves in 33 1/3 innings. Great numbers across the board. Post All-Star break? Not so much. A 1-1 record, 5.06 ERA, 1.031 WHIP, and eight saves in 21 1/3 innings. After giving up no home runs in his first 32 appearances, Jansen gave up four over his final 22 appearances. For his career, Jansen’s splits are much more even. A 2.42 ERA in the first half and 2.71 ERA in the second half.

Jansen’s pitch mix has had some evolution over the years. He used a changeup periodically early on, but went away from it after 2011. Jansen also had a four-seam fastball in his repertoire, using it as much as 11.7% of the time in 2016. But after that season, he chose to go away from the four-seamer. From that point on, Jansen has exclusively used three pitches: a cutter, slider, and sinker. The cutter is his biggest weapon. In 2024, he used that pitch 84.9% of the time. Batters hit .215 and had a .348 slugging percentage against his cutter. The slider and sinker are pitches he likes to mix in here and there, throwing both less than 10% of the time.

Contract

Jansen made $16 million each of the last three years. With age, his production has still remained at a high level. That bodes well as he looks to earn another substantial contract this offseason. Entering his age 37 season, there is a very real possibility he lands another multi-year contract.

As a matter of fact, I would expect just that to happen. With the way the reliever market is shaping out, I believe most playoff-caliber teams will at least check in with Jansen, if not make an offer. His production in addition to his playoff experience will prove to be a valuable asset to all suitors. I think Jansen lands a two-year, $29 million deal.

Recommendation

Along with signing Pete Alonso or another impact bat, the Mets are still looking to fill their bullpen. Edwin Díaz is the headliner as the team’s closer, but beyond that, there aren’t a lot of known quantities. Dedniel Núñez, Reed Garrett, and Sean Reid-Foley are a few of the other notable arms. As the offseason progresses, the Mets likely need two, maybe three additions to the bullpen. Luckily for them, the reliever market has not moved much yet. It seems the Mets will have plenty of options to choose from throughout the coming weeks.

Tanner Scott is at the top of the wishlist for many fans due to his stuff and the fact that he is also a left-hander. With the Mets signing A.J. Minter, Scott is likely going elsewhere. With the team still in need of another reliever or two, Jansen would be a great choice. He may not be as dominant as he once was but he has shown over the last two years that he still has something left in the tank. If Jansen is willing to operate as more of a setup man, closing periodically when Díaz needs a rest, he is someone the Mets should target. A one-year or two-year deal for the future Hall of Famer would be an excellent addition to the team.

The post Free Agent Profile: Kenley Jansen, RP appeared first on Metsmerized.

The San Diego Padres continued to rebuild their bullpen. With a number of their top relievers in free agency, San Diego is close to adding South Korean reliever Woo Suk Go, who could serve as the teams closer. The deal was first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. 

The 25-year-old has pitched in parts of seven seasons with the Korean Baseball Organization. He has operated as the closer for the LG Twins for the past five seasons. In four of those five seasons, Go has had an ERA below 4.00. 

Go had a record of 3-8, an ERA of 3.68, 15 saves, and 59 strikeouts in 44 innings last season. 

Latest Mets News 

The Mets removed the white shadow on the logo of their black hats. See the change here. 

Darryl Strawberry opened up in a podcast interview with baseball writer Erik Sherman.

Latest MLB News

The Arizona Diamondbacks are signing free agent catcher Tucker Barnhart to a minor league contract, which includes an invite to spring training, per Robert Murray of Fansided.

The Cincinnati Reds announced the contract of Frankie Montas and the decision to designate catcher Austin Wynns for assignment. 

Fernando Tatis Jr. became at least the 2nd player since 2006 to homer in a Dominican League game on his birthday, per Sarah Langs of mlb.com. 

Latest on MMO 

The Metsmerized team gave its Mets New Year’s resolutions in our latest roundtable. 

Brian Wright makes the case for Adrian Gonzalez to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Patrick Glynn profiles both Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin as trade candidates. 

The Mets Madness recap of the 2022 and 1999 Mets from Jack Ramsey.

At Mets Minors, they talked about the best starting pitchers from the 2023 season.

On this Date in Mets History

2000: The Mets officially released Bobby Bonilla on this day 24 years ago. With his release came decades of deferred payments, which will not stop until 2035. 

Birthdays: Mark Dewey (59), Luis Rivera (60), Jim Dwyer (74), John Sullivan (83)

The post Morning Briefing: Padres Close to Signing Woo Suk Go appeared first on Metsmerized.

It was reported that the Red Sox are looking to continue to shed salaries to make room for other free agents. This is wholly unnecessary because they’re the Boston Red Sox and one of the most valuable teams in baseball. But the Braves took advantage of this by taking a flier for Chris Sale, and other teams could look to make an impact by trading for Red Sox players with higher salaries.

Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin–two right-handed relievers for the Sox–are two who could fit the bill. So let’s do a quick rundown of both and look what it might take to acquire one of both of them.

Rundown

Kenley Jansen (36 years old, $16 million salary for 2024)

2023 Traditional Stats: 51 G, 3-6, 29 SV, 3.63 ERA, 1.276 WHIP, 44.2 IP, 51 K
2023 Advanced Stats: 1.1 fWAR, 3.66 FIP, 3.25 xERA, 27.7 K%, 9.0 BB%

Chris Martin (37, $9 million)

2023 Traditional Stats: 55 G, 4-1, 3 SV, 1.05 ERA, 1.032 WHIP, 51.1 IP, 46 K
2023 Advanced Stats: 1.5 fWAR, 2.44 FIP, 3.25 xERA, 23.1 K%, 4.0 BB%

Jansen and Martin joined the team the offseason prior to bolster a bullpen that was second-worst in the American League in 2022. The Red Sox gave them a combined $25 million per year over the next two seasons, and in 2023, the two individually performed pretty well for Boston–though Jansen left plenty to be desired.

Across 44.2 innings–not a ton for a guy you’re paying $16 million–Jansen compiled a 3.63 ERA and a career-worst 27.7% strikeout rate. There were worries before the season that Jansen would be affected by the pitch clock (he was a notoriously slow pitcher), but he had just three pitch clock violations all year. His struggles on the field came from being a 36-year-old in his 14th year in the league. He’s getting old! His iconic cutter got hit harder than it ever had, he’s missing less bats, and a poor defense–especially in the outfield–with the Sox didn’t help.

Martin is the opposite of Jansen in that he keeps the ball on the ground and kept contact weak. He didn’t allow a home run all season on his cutter and sinker/splitter, and he allowed just two across 51.1 innings. His 1.05 ERA across the season is nothing to scoff at, but it’s not something you’d expect him to repeat in 2024. But you do like to see that despite the frequency of contact, Martin kept runners off the bases with just a 4.0% walk rate and a 1.03 WHIP.

Both relievers, it ends up, had an xERA of 3.25. Martin got a bit lucky–as relievers can over a full season–that his contact typically landed where his infielders were, and Jansen certainly was hurt by his fly ball propensities and a weak outfield.

Acquisition Cost

What it takes to require one or both of these relievers probably partly depends on how much money the Mets are willing to eat–or, how much the Sox are willing to eat.

Boston reportedly is looking for controllable pitching while shedding salary, according to MassLive‘s Chris Cotillo. The Red Sox have shown a knack for getting good value out of their starting pitchers.

There are a range of names like Joey Lucchesi, Jose Butto, Justin Jarvis, and Tyler Stuart who could be used in various types of deals–all depending on if both relievers are involved and how much money the Sox are willing to eat.

The most realistic is that the Sox try to trade Jansen. He’s the more popular name, looks to clearly be regressing after over 800 MLB innings, and he’s owned the most money. They’ll need someone to close if Jansen’s gone, too, so trading away Chris Martin with him wouldn’t make much sense. So if the Sox ate $4 million of his $16 million salary, what would it cost the Mets? Probably not much.

My Thoughts

There’s one name in the Mets bullpen you can count on: Edwin Diaz. David Stearns is doing his best to build the bullpen from scratch, but you just don’t know what you’re going to get from the dozen players Stearns is giving a shot. These are the types of deals the Mets can afford. They can take on money for good players. And if all else fails, and the Mets fall out of contention before the trade deadline, you might be able to make up the value you traded away by trading them again.

Ideally, the Mets could try to find a deal for both relievers, but even if it’s just Jansen, he’d instantly improve the bullpen–and perhaps give Jansen a better role at this point of his career as a set up man.

The post Trade Profile: Kenley Jansen & Chris Martin, RHPs appeared first on Metsmerized.

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The changes just keep coming. Larger bases, pitch clocks, and limits on infield shifting apparently are not enough changes for 2023, now Major League Baseball officials are directing umpires to pay closer attention to the balk rule during the upcoming season. Jeff Passan from ESPN.com goes into detail about what we can expect regarding balks, as MLB strives to make former umpire “Balking” Bob Davidson proud.

Before getting into why we may see more balks called, let’s take a look at the balk rule. Official baseball rule 8.05 provides the definition of a balk (in several parts):

(a) The pitcher, while touching his plate, makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch and fails to make such delivery;

(b) The pitcher, while touching his plate, feints a throw to first or third base and fails to complete the throw;

(c) The pitcher, while touching his plate, fails to step directly toward a base before throwing to that base;

(d) The pitcher, while touching his plate, throws, or feints a throw to an unoccupied base, except for the purpose of making a play;

 (e) The pitcher makes an illegal pitch;

 (f) The pitcher delivers the ball to the batter while he is not facing the batter;

(g) The pitcher makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch while he is not touching the pitcher’s plate;

(h) The pitcher unnecessarily delays the game;

(i) The pitcher, without having the ball, stands on or astride the pitcher’s plate or while off the plate, he feints a pitch;

(j) The pitcher, after coming to a legal pitching position, removes one hand from the ball other than in an actual pitch, or in throwing to a base;

(k) The pitcher, while touching his plate, accidentally or intentionally has the ball slip or fall out of his hand or glove;

(l) The pitcher, while giving an intentional base on balls, pitches when the catcher is not in the catcher’s box;

(m) The pitcher delivers the pitch from Set Position without coming to a stop.

The 1988 season was a legendary one for balks in MLB, when the league also asked umpires to more strictly enforce the rule. That year, 924 balks were called, three times the number called the previous season. In 1989, that number was cut in half, and other than those two anomaly seasons, balks have generally ranged between 100-200 per year.

Windups such as Luis Garcia’s are now illegal under MLB’s new balk rules pic.twitter.com/9gEOhvdgMl

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 15, 2023

Balks were going to go up anyway in 2023, as pitchers will be allowed two disengagements from the pitching rubber with runners on base. Any further disengagement that does not result in an out will be considered a balk. It’s fair to assume that a significant number of balks will come from this, and the emphasis on other types of balks will add to the total.

The big question is, why now? Morgan Sword, MLB’s executive vice president of operations, is quoted in Passan’s article. “We have slipped a little bit centrally with calling the rulebook illegal pitches and balks.” The heightened focus is clearly part of the plan to encourage more action on the field, and stolen bases, which have tailed off in recent years, are part of that. Why not start looking closely at balks, when the pitch clock will have officials (umpires and field time coordinators) looking at pitchers’ motions to determine when to start and stop the pitch clock?

Mets fans may remember a September 2022 game against the Marlins when Miami reliever Richard Bleier balked three times in one inning (Will Smith also was called for three balks in one inning last year). Multiple balks in an inning may not be so rare this season. Passan points out that several pitchers, including Kevin Gausman of Toronto and Kenley Jansen of the Red Sox, will change their motions because of the pitch clock. Altered motions seem like they will be contributing factors for balks.

In speaking of the upcoming changes, Sword is quoted in Passan’s article as saying:

“Frankly, it’s probably the biggest change that’s been made in baseball in most of our lifetimes.”

The game is evolving, and doing so at a much more rapid pace. Baseball was played with different rules in the two leagues for 50 years. Now, multiple changes are taking place in one season. More may be on the horizon when expansion comes, as there is speculation about radical division realignment and moving to east and west conferences rather than the American and National leagues.

Commissioner Rob Manfred seems to want baseball to no longer be “your grandfather’s game.” This season may be the first year when that is actually the case.

The post Expect Increased Enforcement of the Balk Rule in 2023 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

MLB free agency is in full swing with a flurry of moves taking place on Wednesday, including Aaron Judge re-signing with the Yankees. The Mets have already been active, agreeing to a deal with starting pitcher Jose Quintana.

Here are some other moves that happened Wednesday:

Willson Contreras

The St. Louis Cardinals and All-Star catcher Willson Contreras are in agreement on a five-year deal worth $87.5 million according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Contreras, who was a target for the Mets during last season’s trade deadline, was the best free agent catcher available, and will replace potential future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina as the Cardinals top backstop.

Kenley Jansen

The Boston Red Sox agreed to a two-year deal with reliever Kenley Jansen, according to Passan. Jansen served as the closer for the Atlanta Braves last season, where he saved 41 games with a 3.38 ERA.

Xander Bogaerts

The Red Sox are also reportedly in “heavy discussions” to bring back shortstop Xander Bogearts, according to the NY Post’s Jon Heyman. Bogearts has previously been linked to the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks among other teams this offseason.

Aledmys Díaz

The Oakland Athletics and shortstop Aledmys Díaz have agreed to a two-year deal, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. Díaz was a member of the Houston Astros for the last four seasons and hit .243 in 327 at-bats in 2022.

The post MLB Free Agency Roundup: Cardinals To Sign Willson Contreras appeared first on Metsmerized.

Credit: Dale Zanine – USA TODAY

The Mets enter the 2022 off-season in dire need of bullpen help. Edwin Díaz, Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Joely Rodríguez, Tommy Hunter, and Trevor Williams will all be free agents. In total, those seven pitchers recorded 379 1/3 innings for the Mets last season.

With the goal of competing in 2023, the Mets will have to build their pen from the plethora of options on the free-agent market. Below I have analyzed the most viable options for the Mets heading into the off-season.

Edwin Díaz

Díaz recorded one of the most dominant seasons as a closer in 2022. He struck out 50.2% of the batters he faced, pitched to a 1.31 ERA, and saved 32 out of 35 save opportunities. The Mets have stated their strong interest in re-signing Díaz and are not afraid to hand out the largest contract ever given to a closer.

Adam Ottavino

Ottavino looked vintage in 2022 and held down the eighth inning for the Mets. He cut down his walks per nine from 5.1 in 2021 to 2.2 in 2022 and recorded a WHIP under 1 for the first time since 2018.

Taylor Rogers

Taylor Rogers struggled after the all-star break once he was traded to the Brewers. He pitched to a 5.48 ERA in Milwaukee and walked 10 batters in 23 innings pitched. However, the left-hander struck out 14.1 batters per nine with the Brewers and was an all-star in 2021.

David Robertson

David Robertson continues to be a dominant reliever at 37 and was an instrumental piece in the Phillies play-off run. He pitched to a 2.40 ERA in 63 2/3 innings in the regular season and struck out 11.5 batters per nine.

Rafael Montero

Add old friend Rafael Montero to the list of pitchers that the Houston Astros have fixed over the last five years. In 2022, he pitched to a 2.37 ERA in 68 1/3 innings and held batters to a slash line of .193/.268/.267/.535.

Michael Fulmer

Michael Fulmer was relegated to the bullpen in 2021 after he struggled with injury and poor performance as a starter. Although he has been better as a reliever, Fulmer’s numbers are not eye popping. In 133 1/3 innings as a reliever, Fulmer has a 1.320 WHIP and 3.17 ERA.

Corey Knebel

Corey Knebel signed a one-year deal with the Phillies in 2022 after reviving his career with the Dodgers the year prior. He struggled in the earlier portion of the season and lost his closers role after blowing four saves in 16 opportunities. Overall, Knebel took a step back in 2022, finishing with a 8.3 SO/9, 1.366 WHIP, and 4.46 FIP.

Kenley Jansen

Kenley Jansen stepped into the Braves closer role last season and proved to be reliable. While he gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings, he led the National League with 41 saves and 51 games finished. Jansen also finished with a respectable 3.38 ERA.

Seth Lugo

Lugo was a bulldog for the Mets in 2022 and pitched 65 innings last season. While Lugo finished with an average 3.50 ERA in 2022, his SO/9 have gone down every year since 2019.

Robert Suarez

Robert Suarez made his MLB debut in 2022 after spending seven years between the Mexican League and NPB in Japan. He pitched to a 2.27 ERA and struck out 11.5 batters per nine over 44 2/3 innings. While he is 31, Suarez will be a hot commodity in the off season.

Brad Hand

Brad Hand proved last season that his short stint with the Mets in 2021 was not a fluke. He pitched to a 2.80 ERA and allowed only two home runs in 45 innings pitched. Hand will be targeted by many clubs this off-season due to the limited amount of left handers available.

Chris Martin

Chris Martin flourished after being traded to the Dodgers before the deadline in 2022. In LA, he pitched to a 1.46 ERA and walked one batter in 24 2/3 innings pitched. While Martin is 36, he has been one of the most reliable relievers in baseball. Since 2019, he has pitched in 173 innings and recorded a 144 ERA+.

Trevor May

May’s 2022 season was forgettable as the reliever dealt with injuries and only pitched 25 innings. While May pitched to a 5.04 ERA, his FIP finished at 3.87. Expect a bounce back season from May in 2023.

Matt Strahm

Matt Strahm bounced back with the Red Sox in 2022 after his season was cut short by injury last year. He pitched to a 3.83 ERA in 44 2/3 innings pitched. While Strahm struck out 10.5 batters per nine, he struggled with base runners and recorded a 1.231 WHIP in 2022.

Trevor Williams

Williams was the equivalent of a utility infielder out of the Mets bullpen in 2022. He logged 89 2/3 innings pitched, started nine games, and recorded one save last season. Meanwhile, Williams finished with a 3.21 ERA and 120 OPS+.

Brad Boxberger

Brad Boxberger finished another great year with the Brewers and recorded consecutive seasons of 64 innings pitched. While his 2.95 ERA was better in 2022, his 9.6 SO/9 and 1.234 WHIP were worse.

Will Smith

Will Smith revitalized his 2022 season after being traded to the Astros. After allowing seven home runs in 37 innings with the Braves, Smith pitched to a 3.27 ERA in Houston and allowed two home runs in 22 innings. Smith has been one of the most consistent left handed relievers since 2018 and has pitched to a 3.27 ERA over 261 1/3 innings.

The post Analyzing the 2023 Relief Pitching Free Agent Market appeared first on Metsmerized.

Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

After breaking his left thumb, Bryce Harper will now need surgery. His recovery is expected to take roughly six weeks Jim Salisbury of NCBS reported.

The Mets lost to the Astros again Tuesday, their third defeat in as many games to the AL West leaders. They’ll play their fourth and final matchup with the Astros today at 1:10 p.m. Taijuan Walker will be facing off against Justin Verlander.

Latest Mets News

Max Scherzer‘s next rehab assignment, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was pushed back to Wednesday, per the Mets.

Travis Jankowski has begun baseball activities and is looking to go on a rehab assignment by the end of the next week, Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated reported.

Latest MLB News

The Braves placed Kenley Jansen on the 15-day IL with an irregular heartbeat, the team announced.

Freddie Freeman released a statement on his emotional homecoming in Atlanta.

The perception of executives is that a team looking to trade for starting pitching will be looking for prospect-rich proposals, Buster Olney of ESPN reported.

The Astros placed Michael Brantley on the 10-day IL with right shoulder discomfort.

Blue Jays pitcher Nate Pearson has been shut down for four weeks, Keegan Matheson of MLB reported.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has set its sights on Major League Baseball’s antitrust exemption, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

Latest on MMO

Alex Horowitz wrote about Pete Alonso‘s historic RBI pace.

Liz Evangelou previewed the Mets’ series with the Astros, which kicked off Tuesday with a thud.

Joe D. wrote about the new Pete Alonso and Bobby Valentine bobbleheads.

The Mets may have gotten crushed Tuesday, but you can read Matt Lazzaro‘s recap of the game.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Larry Stahl (81)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Bryce Harper To Undergo Thumb Surgery appeared first on Metsmerized.

Kenley Jansen

Position: RP
Bats/Throws: R/R
Age: 34 (9/30/1987)

Traditional Stats: 69 G, 69 IP, 4-4, 2.22 ERA, 1.043 WHIP, 38 SV, 86 K, 36 BB
Advanced Stats: 185 ERA+, 1.8 fWAR, 2.3 bWAR, 30.9 K%, 12.9 BB%, 2.83 xERA, 3.08 FIP, 4.04 xFIP

Rundown

Kenley Jansen has been one of the best closers–if not the best closer–in baseball over the last decade. First arriving with the Dodgers in 2010, he took on the majority of the team’s closing opportunities right around the time he entered arbitration. Since his 2012, he has the most saves in the majors with 341, besting the likes of Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman, and he has the third-best save percentage over the same span (behind the two aforementioned closers) among relievers who’ve thrown in at least 300 games.

His 2021 season was his best results-wise in five years, notching a 2.22 ERA (3.08 FIP) over 69 innings. His walk rate was high–12.9 percent, which is more than you’d want from any reliever let alone your closer–but that’s an anomaly for a pitcher who’s stayed under a 9 percent walk rate for just about his entire career.

Jansen’s come a long way from this:

pssst

it's a cutter pic.twitter.com/uKNI8HUeyD

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) October 19, 2016

Jansen threw his once-go-to cutter just 58 percent of the time in 2021, the lowest rate since his rookie season. That was contrasted with a career-high 15.4 slider rate and a sinker that he threw just over a quarter of a time. That pitch percentage make up is a long way from his 2017 season–his last dominant season–when he threw his cutter over 85 percent of the time and neither secondary pitch more than 8 percent of the time.

While Jansen lost vertical break and spin on his all of his pitches around the time MLB cracked down on foreign substances, as Daniel Brim of Dodgers Digest points out, his effectiveness with each pitch remained pretty consistent outside of a rough patch in July.

All that being said, it was largely status quo for Jansen overall, while stats below the surface–xERA, xSLG, hard hit percentage, strikeout percentage–stayed pretty similar to what they were from 2018 through 2020. When you’re a reliever packed in high intensity situations in smaller sample sizes, a three-run home run or a fly out to the warning track can mean the difference of nearly half an ERA point at the end of the year. This season, Jansen likely saw one or two of those situations swing his way, especially as he walked guys at a rate higher than he had before.

Contract

Jansen is coming off a five-year, $80 million contract that he signed ahead of the 2017 season. He was worth every penny (despite what some Dodgers fans may believe), accumulating 161 saves and a 2.67 ERA in 296 1/3 innings in those four-and-a-half seasons (remember: COVID). That’s the most saves and third-best ERA in that span, trailing just Josh Hader and Felipe Vazquez (a convicted sexual predator who is no longer in baseball) in the latter stat.

While he won’t get the same length of a deal at age 34, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get close to a similar AAV on a shorter two- or three-year contract, with the shorter the years, the larger the AAV. He won’t get the total money someone like Rasiel Iglesias got ($58 million), but he may top his $14.5 million AAV.

MLB Trade Rumors projected Jansen nabbing a two-year, $26 million deal, Spotrac says two years and $20 million and FanGraphs has Jansen getting a two-year, $24 million deal. He may get a couple more million per year than his projections from a team like the Mets, who are clearly willing to spend to ensure they’re competing with the top ranks of teams.

Recommendation

After shoring up the team’s starting lineup pre-lockout, one of the Mets’ primary concerns post-lockout is rectifying the bullpen. The team lost Aaron Loup and Jeurys Familia, who appeared in 65 games each for the Mets, and there are still questions if Edwin Diaz can consistently lock down games three years into his Mets tenure. (It will likely be his last with the team, too, barring a team-friendly extension ahead of his free agency next year.)

Signing Jensen would require money–the team has been no stranger to that this offseason–but any deal beyond this one would help the team establish more consistency in its bullpen beyond 2022. For the 2022 season, though, he’d give Buck Showalter a significant option to close out games alongside Diaz. Those two, along with Trevor May and Seth Lugo, would give the Mets one of the more formidable back-end bullpens in the league.

The team would still need depth pieces–a lefty to replace Loup, among other arms–but the Mets should go after the biggest fish left on the reliever market. (Let’s leave the conversation of the palpitations from watching Diaz and Jansen in close games for another day, please.)

The post MMO Free Agent Profile: Kenley Jansen, RP appeared first on Metsmerized.