Now that the dust has settled and the Washington Nationals have been crowned World Series champions for the first time in franchise history, MLB free agency officially began Thursday morning.
The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the offseason with plenty of decisions to make regarding their roster. Three players from the 40-man roster become free agents in Hyun-Jin Ryu, Rich Hill and Russell Martin. David Freese was also set to join them, but rather than go through the process, he announced his retirement after a solid 11-year career.
The Dodgers additionally hold a $13 million club option for Jedd Gyorko, and while the expectation is that they will decline it, L.A. could still conceivably re-sign him to more team-friendly terms.
Furthermore, Kenley Jansen controls his fate with a player option. Such was included when the right-hander signed a five-year contract with the Dodgers prior to the 2017 season.
Rather than become a free agent again, Jansen has instead reportedly decided to opt into the remaining two years of his pact, via Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Kenley Jansen will not opt of the $38M and 2 years remaining on his contract #Dodgers
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 31, 2019
By foregoing free agency, Jansen is slated to earn $18 million in 2020 and $20 million the following season. He finished the 2019 campaign with a 5-3 record, 33 saves, a career-high 3.71 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 62 games.
It was the fewest amount of saves Jansen recorded since 2013. He additionally blew eight save opportunities in what he described as the most challenging season of his career.
Jansen particularly struggled with his mechanics, which led to a decline in velocity and some difficulty commanding his once-trustworthy cutter. He made just two appearances against the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series, both of which came in non-save situations.
In the wake of an inconsistent 2019 season, the Dodgers have not yet committed to Jansen as their closer going forward. The right-hander has not let that deter him, as he was spotted at Dodger Stadium last week taking part in offseason workouts.
