Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Kenley Jansen

Before signing with the Angels last offseason, Kenley had spent the previous two seasons in Boston. In those two seasons, he pitched to a 3.44 ERA in 99.1 innings with 55 saves.

The relationship between the two must’ve been a good one, considering that the Red Sox were one of the contenders linked to Jansen at the deadline.

Aroldis Chapman is coming off one of the best seasons he has had in a long time.

What we came to realize during the 2025 season is that the Red Sox prioritized utilizing the left-hander in high-leverage situations over solely the ninth inning. If Alex Cora is looking to continue to do that this season, and Craig Breslow is serious about the “super pen” idea, bringing in another reliable closing option should be a no-brainer.

Returning to Boston would also give Jansen another opportunity to make it to the postseason with a team looking to make a deeper run than they had in 2025.

Los Angeles Angels

With how seemingly well it went last season with Jansen, a deal to bring him back to Anaheim could be in the cards.

For Jansen, not only does he not have to go anywhere, but it also allows him the opportunity to stay in California, where he has spent all but four seasons of his illustrious career.

Robert Stephenson is currently entering the 2026 season as the Angels’ primary closing option. Stephenson might have the “stuff” to be a successful closer, but he was limited to just 10 innings last year, dealing with elbow inflammation.

With the Angels, Jansen would also get the opportunities to hit his career markers. The chance to continue to climb up the ranks close to home could be a high level of intrigue for the veteran.

Pittsburgh Pirates

At one point, the Pirates are truly going to have to show that they’re serious about adding payroll in order to field a competitive roster. As of the latest rumors surrounding the team, they are at least showing the effort to do so.

After Josh Naylor resigned with the Mariners, and the official numbers came out, it was reported that the Pirates made an $80 million offer to Naylor to try and sign him.

Is this a sign of things to come? We would hope. The Pirates also moved on from their closer of four years, David “The Renegade” Bednar, at last season’s deadline. The need for a reliable option back there should be something they truly explore.

As of right now, Dennis Santana is the real option to close games for them in 2026. While he had a nice season for Pittsburgh, bringing in Jansen to pitch the ninth inning would allow them to use Santana in multiple roles throughout the game.

Joining Pittsburgh wouldn’t be a decision made to try and make it to the playoffs again, but it would surely provide him the opportunity to hit the accolades he is looking to attain.

Texas Rangers

If you were to read a free agent landing spot article put on Just Baseball for a back-end reliever this offseason, you are likely going to see the Rangers listed on every piece.

When I was doing research, putting these landing spots together, I found that it has been quite some time since the Rangers had a legitimate closer’s option on their roster. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say it has been since the Joe Nathan/Neftali Feliz days.

Robert Garcia looks to be the projected closer for the Rangers as of right now. The Nationals acquired him last offseason in a swap for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Then, at the deadline, they made a move to trade for Phil Maton to try and piece something together on the backend.

The Rangers are heavily invested in their roster, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. If they want to climb back up and reclaim the AL West crown, adding a proven closer like Jansen makes all the sense in the world.