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Braves sign former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen to 1-year, $16 million deal

The Atlanta Braves are betting big on their bullpen.

MLB's defending World Series champions announced Friday they signed former Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen to a one-year, $16 million deal.

Jansen is coming off a 38-save season for the Dodgers, with a 2.22 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 69 innings, with his final pitch coming against his new team in the NLCS.

Kenley Jansen is a Dodgers great

The signing ends a Dodgers career for Jansen that goes all the way back to when he signed with the team as an international free agent in 2004. He was a catcher at the time. After struggling to hit the ball even at the minor league level, Jansen made the switch to pitching and found quick success, all thanks to one big pitch.

Few pitches in MLB have been more valuable since 2010 than Jansen's cutter. It didn't matter that opposing hitters knew it was coming, Jansen's velocity, command and movement still made it a maddening pitch to hit. Across 12 MLB seasons with the Dodgers, Jansen posted a 2.37 ERA and 1,022 strikeouts in 705 innings. He has not posted a season at any level with fewer than 10 strikeouts per nine innings. He got his World Series ring in 2020.

Jansen stands as the Dodgers' all-time saves leader at 350. It's hard to see another pitcher touching that anytime soon. For now, the Dodgers will likely fill the closer spot with set-up man Blake Treinen, who once held the closer job with the Oakland Athletics.

In addition to Jansen, the Dodgers have lost All-Star shortstop Corey Seager and midseason rental Max Scherzer in free agency, but have managed to retain star Clayton Kershaw and underrated utility man Chris Taylor while adding longtime Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman on a six-year, $168 million deal.

So the Jansen signing could be the Braves' payback, in a way.

Los Angeles, CA - October 21: Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen delivers a pitch during the ninth inning in game five in the 2021 National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kenley Jansen's last pitch as a Dodger came against his new team. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Braves add another big arm to bullpen

If you were going to predict a team to spend $16 million to add a premium reliever to its bullpen, it probably wouldn't be the Braves.

Sure, every ostensible contender in MLB has a use for a reliever with Jansen's track record, but the Braves were already looking pretty good in the bullpen department. The team is returning its top four relievers by innings from last year's championship team, a group that posted a 2.91 ERA. It also added Collin McHugh, coming off a 1.55 ERA in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Rays, earlier this week on a two-year, $10 million deal.

But you can never have enough relievers. The question will be if the 34-year-old Jansen will continue staving off Father Time despite years of declining velocity. Jansen has adjusted by incorporating a sinker and slider into his arsenal to complement the cutter, a strategy the Braves are betting will continue to work in 2022.