The arrival of reliever Kenley Jansen to Anaheim suddenly made the Los Angeles Angels bullpen formidable with a true closer.
Jansen signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Angels in the offseason, and suddenly the Halos had the All-Star veteran and Ben Joyce in the back-end of the bullpen.
The right-hander has allowed zero earned runs with seven strikeouts across six innings pitched this season with the Halos. Jansen is the league’s active leader in saves, and locked down his 450th just over a week ago against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“It was something that I’ve seen before,” Washington said of Jansen’s performance at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “It was something that I’ve been a part of before on the opposite side when he’s pulled that off. So, I sort of felt like we were in a good place when he was out there.”
Jansen is a key piece of the Angels’ bullpen, but if the Halos make a downward spiral as the season goes on, it wouldn’t be a surprise if general manager Perry Minasian chose to deal him in return for a top prospect.
The Texas Rangers are in need of a closer, and Jansen could be the perfect fit for the team, according to Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller.
The Angels have lost five of their last six games, and back to back series. If the trend continues and the Halos fall far out of playoff contention by the trade deadline, there’s a chance Jansen could be traded.
It would be hard to imagine him winding up with an AL West rival, though.
