Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen addressed a new report on Boston’s trade plans for him following Sunday’s win.

Kenley Jansen entered the 2024 season on uneasy footing with the Boston Red Sox. He was brought up in trade hypotheticals throughout the winter and entering Spring Training, though no deal came about.

However, now two months into the campaign, Jansen is once again the subject of rumors all while successfully closing games for the Red Sox.

Following the latest report on Boston’s trade plans for Jansen, he discussed his current standing with the team.

Jansen told reporters that he’s only focused on staying professional while buzz around his Red Sox future picks up. He noted he wants to remain a veteran leader for the young guys in the clubhouse and do all he can to help his current team win games.

“This team is going to be good very soon here and you know, it’s a part of the business. I can’t think about that. I just got to go out there and help Boston win ball games.”

– Kenley Jansen
This is an incredibly admirable response by Jansen. He clearly values his Boston teammates and doesn’t want to throw in the towel, even on a season he likely won’t be around to finish out at Fenway.

As a 15-year MLB vet, Jansen’s also been around the block, so he knows trade rumors come with the territory of being in this business. Just because there’s smoke doesn’t always mean there’s fire, so he’s obviously not too hung up on something that might not even happen.

It would be no surprise if the Red Sox, who are hanging around .500 two months into the season, do end up being sellers by the deadline. Jansen is one obvious player to ship off to a contender who’s considering his accolades (four-time All-Star) and the fact he helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series in 2020.

A split makes sense for both sides, as the accomplished closer would get another chance to compete for a ring, while Boston would receive young assets in return to help build this roster under new head honcho Craig Breslow.

It remains to be seen if these rumors regarding Jansen ultimately come to fruition, though.