In a recent article put out by ESPN's David Schoenfield, he made some key free agency predictions about a couple of the biggest remaining free agents, and the Nationals happened to be the choice for one big-time reliever.
As we know, the Nationals have made a few additions on the pitching side that are sure to help the big league club for the 2025 season, but they still have one big opening that might need to be patched in that they have yet to firmly replace Kyle Finnegan as the team's closer. Since surprisingly non-tendering Finnegan after the 2024 season, the club signed reliever Jorge Lopez, who will likely compete with lefty Jose A. Ferrer to be the team's closer for the 2025 season.
However, could the Nationals seek to add one more external arm to bolster their bullpen? Schoenfield certainly believes so, and thinks that the team will sign Kenley Jansen, formerly of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Red Sox. Jansen, who sits 4th on the all-time saves list in MLB history, has had a remarkable career over 15 seasons in the big leagues, and is still searching for a team for the 2025 season. He is a 3-time All-Star, and has been one of the most consistent back end reliever in baseball throughout his career.
Despite beginning his career as a catcher in the Dodgers' organization in 2004, he switched over to pitching in 2009, and has now ended up becoming one of the best reliever in MLB history. Despite being 37-years-old now, he still has some gas left in the tank, and was an All-Star still as recently as the 2023 season with the Red Sox. He has saved 447 out of 507 possible games in his MLB career, which is good for an 88.16% save percentage over his 15 years in the big leagues.
His fit on this current Nationals team is obvious, as the Nationals would likely benefit from adding a reliable arm to be the closer, given that Lopez has only 1 season where he has primarily been a reliable closer at the MLB level, and Ferrer will be going into his first full season in the majors. In 2024, Jansen was still a very solid closer, with a 3.29 ERA and 1.061 WHIP, with 62 strikeouts in 54.2 innings showing that he is definitely a guy that can still close games at the highest level.
It remains to be seen if the Nationals will look to add any more arms, as they currently have a major logjam of starting pitching that is likely to push a couple guys to the bullpen, but there is no denying that Jansen would immediately raise the ceiling of the bullpen.
Do you want the Nationals to sign Kenley Jansen? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.