Nabil Crismatt and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to terms on a minor league deal during the offseason and he has received a couple of call-ups from Triple-A Oklahoma City thanks to a boatload of injuries to the club’s bullpen.
Crismatt has appeared in three games for the Dodgers this season, giving up one earned run in four innings during his limited appearances with the team.
He recently changed his jersey to No. 70 after he opened the year wearing the No. 74 during his first two games with the Dodgers. It was a change that people took notice of because it was the number last worn by former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, who is currently with the Boston Red Sox.
Crismatt has since confirmed that he made the decision to change his number out of respect for Jansen, who is the Dodgers’ all-time saves leader with 350 during his 12-year career with the team, according to Eric Stephen of SB Nation:
Nabil Crismatt said the switch from number 74 to 70 was out of respect to Kenley Jansen
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) May 3, 2024
Jansen has not been a member of the Dodgers organization since the 2021 season and has had stints with the Atlanta Braves and Red Sox since then. After leaving the Dodgers, he has shown the ability to still be a contributing member of an MLB bullpen and is off to a good start in his second year with the Red Sox in 2024.
He has a 1.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts in 9.2 innings this season.
There were rumors in the offseason that Red Sox were looking to offload his hefty $16 million salary in 2024. If Jansen could still be available via trade a reunion with his old club makes almost too much sense for a Dodgers team whose bullpen has been devastated by injuries this season, and this recent news with Crismatt provides some fuel for speculation.
Dodgers bullpen finding its grove
The improved quality of play from the Dodgers bullpen has been a big part of their increased success lately. During their nine-game roadtrip, the bullpen gave up just four runs in 32.1 innings. However, recent injuries to Ryan Brasier and others will make it more difficult for them to sustain this level of play.
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