Win one, lose one. Just days after bringing all-star first baseman Freddie Freeman to the team, the Los Angeles Dodgers lost their longtime closer. Kenley Jansen has signed a one-year contract wth the Atlanta Braves for $16 million.
Ironically, Freeman is a former Atlanta Brave, although that team allowed him to leave when it traded for Oakland A’s first baseman Matt Olson.
Right-hander Blake Treinen will try to fill Jansen’s closer shoes. Jansen, 34, spent his entire career with the Dodgers organization. Last season, he posted a 2.22 ERA (185 ERA+) and a 2.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 69 innings.
For his career, he has a 2.37 ERA and a 5.01 strikeout-to-walk ratio to go with 350 saves.
The Dodgers season starts Thursday, April 14 with a night game against the Cincinnati Reds. The late start is part of Major League Baseball’s effort to squeeze in the games canceled by the labor lockout earlier this year.
