Once Mark Melancon signed a four-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, it was a matter of time until the next domino — Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen – fell. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins and New York Yankees were said to be the primary suitors for both closers.
The Washington Nationals were also connected to Chapman and Jansen, but the club shifted gears at one point to pursue a trade for Chris Sale. The Yankees were believed to have submitted contract offers to Chapman and Jansen.
As of Wednesday evening the Dodgers, Marlins and Yankees reportedly were awaiting a decision from Chapman, who was expected to sign prior to his right-handed counterpart.
Chapman agreed to a five-year, $86 million contract with the Yankees late Wednesday night, leaving the Dodgers and Marlins to vie for Jansen.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the Marlins are aggressively after Jansen:
Sources: The Marlins have made a monster offer for Kenley Jansen — almost at the level of Aroldis Chapman. Five years, more than $80M.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 8, 2016
Reports of Miami’s interest in signing an elite closer this winter steadily gained momentum. Manager Don Mattingly, who of course has ties to Jansen during their days with the Dodgers, reached out to his former closer to gauge interest.
Coming off his first career All-Star season, Jansen has openly stated he would seek the best contract available in what’s his first experience as a free agent. His outlook, coupled with Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s reluctance to commit significant salary to a reliever, suggest a reunion is unlikely.
Jansen recorded 47 saves with a 1.83 ERA and 0.67 WHIP this season. 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).
Should the Marlins sign Jansen they will lose the 13th overall pick in the 2017 Draft, as he rejected the qualifying offer from the Dodgers in November.
