On Tuesday afternoon the Los Angeles Dodgers officially announced re-signing of closer Kenley Jansen to a five-year, $80 million contract. The deal is the largest a Dodgers reliever has ever received.
The commitment to Jansen was a bit surprising, as the Dodgers also re-signed Rich Hill and Justin Turner this offseason, despite a widespread belief the club was set to continue slashing their already Major League-high payroll.
Los Angeles does have some salaries coming off the books after the 2017 and 2018, which presumably played a role in Jansen’s five-year contract, Turner’s backloaded four-year deal, and three years Hill received. It should also be noted Jansen’s contract includes an opt-out clause.
In similar fashion to Turner’s contract structure, the Dodgers also backloaded Jansen’s deal, and he is to receive a bonus if traded, according to John Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball:
Kenley Jansen deal official. Breakdown: 4M sign bonus. 10M in '17 and '18, 18M in in '19 and. '20, 20M in '21. #dodgers
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 10, 2017
Jansen gets $1M each time traded. KJ may opt out after 2019. #dodgers
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 10, 2017
Jansen’s contract represents the largest Andrew Friedman has doled out as Dodgers president of baseball operations. Brandon McCarthy ($48 million over four years) and Scott Kazmir (three-year contract) previously shared the honor.
Jansen is coming off a season in which he was named an All-Star for the first time. In 2016 he had 47 saves with a 1.83 ERA and 0.67 WHIP. During the process he broke the Dodgers franchise record for most saves all-time, finished tied for second in the Majors in saves, and led qualified National League closers in WHIP and strikeouts (104).
Jansen explained his comfort level with the Dodgers and desire to bring the first World Series title to Los Angeles since 1988 factored heavily into his decision to re-sign.
