2) The Atlanta Braves would like Kenley Jansen to return.
Kenley Jansen, the Braves’ primary closer for nearly all of the season, has been polarizing to a lot of the fanbase. This is justifiable, considering Jansen blew seven saves, which was equal to third worst in baseball. However, he also saved 41 games total, second best in all of baseball, and still finished with a respectable 3.38 ERA.
His WHIP, ERA, and FIP numbers made up a top-3 worst season of his career, but the numbers were still certainly good, and he managed to steady the ship quite remarkably toward the later stretch of the season. He could easily command a similar one-year deal with the Braves that he received in 2021.
Alex Anthopoulos confirmed this fact by saying, similar to Swanson, that they’d “love to have him back.”
The Braves have been one of the most active teams in the relief pitcher market over the last few seasons. Since 2019, they have signed five top-of-the-market guys and have traded for others like Chris Martin, Richard Rodriguez, and Raisel Iglesias in the same time frame.
With Luke Jackson, Jesse Chavez, and Kenley not locks to return, expect the Braves to explore the trade market and check in on free agent options such as Adam Ottavino, Michael Fulmer, former Brave Craig Kimbrel, and even possibly former-Mets stud closer Edwin Diaz, though unlikely.