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Kenley Jansen

NL Notes: Mets, Harper, Machado, Rockies, Dodgers, Kenley, Reds

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The Mets haven’t been connected to outfielder Bryce Harper or infielder Manny Machado – the best free agents available this offseason – in part because, “I don’t know how many teams have two $30-million players,” COO Jeff Wilpon said this week (via Tim Healey of Newsday). Wilpon was alluding to the Mets’ highest-paid player, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who will make just shy of $30MM per year over the next two seasons. But Cespedes is not under contract thereafter, may not even play in 2019 because of heel problems, and will have insurance cover some portion of his money while he’s on the shelf. Still, whether the outfield’s a pressing need for the Mets is debatable, as they have Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares and Keon Broxton headlining that group. Wilpon noted the Mets “have some pretty good lefty outfielders” in Nimmo and Conforto, lessening the need for Harper. Entering the offseason, they weren’t as fortunate on the left side of their infield, where Machado could have made a huge difference. The team has since signed Jed Lowrie, though, and it’s seemingly content to go forward with him as its primary third baseman and Amed Rosario at shortstop. However, even after reeling in Lowrie (and acquiring other pricey veterans in Robinson Cano, Wilson Ramos, Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson), the Mets are still roughly $40MM under the luxury tax, Healey points out. Nevertheless, the big-market club is apparently content to stay out of the sweepstakes for both Harper and Machado.

More from around the National League…

  • Although the Rockies’ Bud Black is entering a contract year, the manager’s not fazed by his uncertain status beyond 2019. “Those thing work themselves out,” said Black (via Nick Groke of The Athletic). If Black wants to stay with the Rockies, it’ll be a surprise if they don’t extend him this offseason or sometime prior to next winter, as he’s easily their most successful manager ever in terms of winning percentage (.548). The Rockies have made the playoffs in each of the well-regarded Black’s two seasons on the job and gone 178-147.
  • Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, who underwent surgery in November to address an irregular heartbeat, told J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group and other reporters Saturday that he’s back at full strength. Pitching in the thin air of Colorado has been particularly problematic in recent years for Jansen, who was hospitalized after a game there last August, but trips to Coors Field won’t be an issue for him going forward. “If I’m hydrated I should be fine,” Jansen said.
  • Earlier this offseason, John Farrell interviewed for the Reds’ managerial position – a job that ultimately went to David Bell. While Farrell was among many runners-up in that derby, he’ll still work with the Reds in 2019, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. After serving as a scout and advisor last year, his first in Cincinnati, he’ll function as a pitching consultant during the upcoming season. Farrell, 56, is best known for his run as Boston’s manager from 2013-17, during which the team went 432-378, took home three division titles and won a World Series championship (’13).

NL Notes: Braves, Kimbrel, Dodgers, Jansen, Reds

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A few items from the National League…

  • Atlanta’s a speculative landing spot for closer Craig Kimbrel, who starred with the Braves from 2010-14 and is now the most proven reliever available in free agency. However, barring a drop in Kimbrel’s asking price, it’s “highly unlikely” he’ll rejoin the Braves this offseason, Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes. MLBTR predicts the 30-year-old Kimbrel will reel in a whopping $70MM guarantee, which could be too much for an Atlanta team that may not be in position to make a big-money splash this offseason, as general manager Alex Anthopoulos suggested last month. Anthopoulos has made it known the Braves are interested in adding a closer this winter, though, so whether it’s Kimbrel or someone else, it appears the club is primed to bring in some late-game help.
  • Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen announced Friday that he’ll undergo heart surgery Nov. 26, per Chad Thornburg of MLB.com. The procedure comes with a two- to eight-week recovery timeline, meaning Jansen should be fine by spring training. It’ll be the second heart surgery since 2012 for Jansen, who missed time with an irregular heartbeat that season and during both the 2011 and ’18 campaigns. The 31-year-old has been particularly susceptible to an irregular heartbeat at high altitude – the issue cropped up in Colorado in 2012, and he was hospitalized after a game at Coors Field last August. As a result, Jansen sat out a road series against the Rockies in September on doctors’ recommendation.
  • The Reds have hired J.R. House to serve as their third base coach and catching coach, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. The 39-year-old House will replace Billy Hatcher, who had been the Reds’ third base coach, and ex-catching coach Mike Stefanski, though it’s not yet known if those two will stay in the organization in different roles, per Sheldon. House, a former professional catcher and first basemen, spent the past seven seasons in player development with the Diamondbacks. He’s the third new hire for rookie manager David Bell, who previously tabbed Derek Johnson as the Reds’ pitching coach and Turner Ward as their hitting coach.

Kenley Jansen Anticipates Offseason Surgery To Address Irregular Heartbeat

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Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen firmly anticipates the need for an offseason heart procedure, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick was among those to report on Twitter. It’ll be a repeat of the procedure he had in 2012 to deal with an irregular heartbeat.

Jansen, of course, missed time recently when he experienced a recurrence of the symptoms that led to his original procedure. Indications at the time were that an offseason surgery would again be necessary, though it was not clear until his comments today that it was all but certain to take place.

There has been no change to Jansen’s availability down the stretch and into the postseason (if the Dodgers qualify). After all, the issue was already known. And presumably the hope will remain that he’ll be ready for a full spring camp in 2019, though details remain unknown.

Of course, Jansen’s cardiac health will remain the top priority. It’s certainly scary to hear of the ongoing issues, though certainly it’s promising that he has been able to continue his career and encouraging to know that he’s being watched closely by experts.

Soon to turn 31, the outstanding right-hander has not been at his dominant best thus far in 2018. He struggled in particular for a stretch in late August after returning from his recent scare. But the veteran has righted the ship over his past several appearances and still owns a healthy 2.89 ERA, with 10.3 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9, over his 62 1/3 innings on the season.

That’s still quite productive, but it’s nothing close to the typical version of Jansen. To take but one example: he currently carries a 2.98 SIERA (the ERA estimator that looks most favorably on his 2018 output). That means that this season will break a remarkable seven-year streak in which Jansen posted SIERA marks of 1.88 or lower.

Whether Jansen can still deliver a vintage performance the rest of the way, and into the future, remains to be seen. He is under contract through 2020, with $56MM of earnings over the three seasons yet to come, so there’s plenty at stake for the Dodgers. Clearly, though, the most important thing is that Jansen remains healthy.

NL West Notes: Jansen, Myers, Giants

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Kenley Jansen’s latest bout with an irregular heartbeat left the Dodgers closer more irritated than scared, he tells ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne.  Jansen had dealt with similar heart issues in 2011 and 2012, the latter resulting in heart surgery.  After the problem arose again last month, his immediate reaction was that “I thought my season was over. I’m like, man, f— this. Not again. We’re trying to go back to the World Series. I have a chance to win another Trevor Hoffman award. Man!”  Shelburne’s piece details how Jansen dealt with the heart problem that evening, and how he has been trying to balance staying healthy while also making an earlier-than-expected return to the field.

Interestingly, Jansen noted that he likely wouldn’t be playing if the Dodgers weren’t in contention.  “To tell you the truth, I wanted to have the second surgery right now so we could just fix it and I’d know everything was OK,” Jansen said. “But I know what an opportunity our team has this year and my responsibilities here.”  That second surgery could come after the season is over, though while Jansen continues to play, he is sitting out the Dodgers’ road series against the Rockies this weekend on doctors’ recommendation, as his last two irregular heartbeat episodes occurred while in Denver’s thin air.  Jansen is hopeful, however, that he would be cleared should the Dodgers end up facing the Rockies in a postseason series.

Here’s more baseball news from around the Golden State…

  • With Wil Myers still very much a work in progress at third base, “the Padres seem to be leaning toward moving” Myers between positions in 2019 rather than make him a full-time option at the hot corner, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  Myers has spent much of his six MLB seasons at first base or right field, though he has also played multiple games as a center fielder (33 starts), left fielder (28 starts) and third baseman (18).  Of course, he has yet to provide much defensive value wherever he has played, though if Myers is at least a passable option at multiple positions, the Padres can shift him around the diamond every day while opening up playing time for others.  For his part, Myers feels he is making progress at his latest position and feels he can still contribute to the team as a primary third baseman.
  • The Giants should explore the idea of trading Madison Bumgarner this offseason, ESPN’s Buster Olney opines.  Bumgarner is controlled through the 2019 season via a $12MM club option that is sure to be exercised, and the Giants would certainly get a good return for even just one year of the star lefty’s services.  Of course, the team declined offers for Bumgarner at the trade deadline and has given every indication that it plans to contend in 2019.  Olney, however, sees parallels between the Giants and the Phillies teams from earlier this decade, who suffered for holding onto a veteran core too long rather than recognize that a rebuild was necessary.  Keeping Bumgarner next season or extending him may not make sense, Olney feels, for a Giants team that could soon face its own rebuild.

Injury Notes: Jansen, Nimmo, Trumbo, Twins, Giants

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It seems the Dodgers will activate closer Kenley Jansen for tonight’s game, the relief ace tells reporters including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (Twitter links). That’s certainly good news for a club that has struggled to wrap up games in the late innings without him. More importantly, it seems as if there’s ongoing cause for optimism that Jansen will not be limited by the irregular heartbeat that forced him to the hospital earlier this month.

More injury news from around the league…

  • The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ve placed outfielder Brandon Nimmo on the 10-day disabled list due to a bruised left index finger. With Nimmo out for at least the next week-plus, the Mets will keep Dominic Smith on the 25-man roster for the time being. Smith had been with the club on Sunday as the 26th man in New York’s doubleheader, and while he’d been slated to return to Triple-A Las Vegas, he’ll now remain in the bigs. It seems likely that he’ll stay up long enough for rosters to expand on Sept. 1.
  • Likewise, the Orioles say that they’ve placed Mark Trumbo on the disabled list due to inflammation in his right knee. In a pair of corresponding moves, Baltimore reinstated Adam Jones from the bereavement list and also recalled outfielder John Andreoli from Triple-A Norfolk after claiming him off outright waivers from the Mariners organization over the weekend. The rebuilding O’s owe Trumbo another $13.5MM next year and they’d no doubt like to find a way to trim back that commitment. This injury could take him out of any consideration for a late-August swap — not that a deal ever seemed particularly likely in the first place. While the 32-year-old is posting a solid .261/.313/.452 slash with 17 homers in 358 plate appearances, his defensive limitations will severely limit interest from contenders (whether now or in the offseason to come).
  • While Logan Morrison was originally diagnosed with a hip impingement that necessitated season-ending surgery, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the Twins first baseman/designated hitter actually had a torn labrum repaired and a bone spur removed from the ailing hip. Meanwhile, right-hander Ervin Santana is seeing a hand specialist to examine the surgically repaired middle finger on his right hand (also via Berardino, on Twitter). Initially projected to require a 12-month recovery that would’ve had Santana back in early May, the issue has proven to be considerably more problematic. Santana didn’t pitch until late July and has made just five starts with an 8.03 ERA in 2018.
  • Giants righty Jeff Samardzija is still hoping to make it back from shoulder issues this season. As Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group tweets, Samardzija is set for his first of two rehab starts this Wednesday. That would put the veteran hurler on track to start on the first day of September, when active rosters expand. Whether or not he’ll do so remains to be seen. For the Giants, any contribution will likely be too little, too late. But there is still time for the 33-year-old to put a more positive spin on his 2018 season. When he has been available to pitch this year, Samardzija has produced an ugly 6.25 ERA with an even more concerning 30:26 K/BB ratio in 44 2/3 innings over ten starts.
  • Meanwhile, the Giants will welcome back emerging hurler Dereck Rodriguez, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, to take the ball on Friday. Clearly, Rodriguez’s hamstring issues weren’t serious at all, as he only just hit the DL. That’s certainly good news for an organization that has been in need of future bright spots. Rodriguez came out of nowhere to throw 80 innings of 2.25 ERA pitching.

Dodgers Health Updates: Jansen, Dozier, Axford

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As they seek to correct a skid, the Dodgers have also dealt with some fairly worrisome health situations. Here’s the latest:

  • Sorely-missed closer Kenley Jansen said yesterday that he expects to be able to return sooner than had been feared, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report (links to Twitter). It seems he won’t require treatment that would have kept him on the shelf for an estimated four to six weeks. Though Jansen may well require an ablation procedure over the winter, as he has undergone before, he will evidently aim to make it back with a good chunk of the 2018 regular season still remaining. Skipper Dave Roberts said he’s “encouraged” by that possibility.
  • New teammate Brian Dozier, meanwhile, is himself being monitored after being pulled from last night’s game. As Alanna Rizzo of Sportsnet LA tweets, Roberts says that initial EKG results showed some kind of abnormality in Dozier’s heartbeat. Just what that means isn’t yet known, though obviously it is a generally concerning development for the 31-year-old, who has been in fine form on the field since being acquired in advance of the trade deadline. MLBTR certainly sends its best wishes to the Dozier family; we hope to see him back on the field in short order.
  • With the Dodgers bullpen struggling to cope with the absence of Jansen, recent acquisition John Axford hasn’t presented much of a solution thus far. Axford has given up six earned runs in just three appearances with Los Angeles. Now, per the above-cited Roberts/Rizzo update, the veteran reliever is headed for a DL stint after taking a comebacker off his leg. Indeed, Axford was diagnosed with a fractured fibula, though it’s only expected to keep him down for two to three weeks.

Kenley Jansen To Miss Time Due To Irregular Heartbeat

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SATURDAY: Jansen will be out until at least Aug. 20, Dodgers president Andrew Friedman told Pedro Moura of The Athletic and other reporters Saturday. At that point, the team will re-evaluate Jansen.

FRIDAY, 9:54AM: Jansen is expected to be sidelined for around one month, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter link).

1:11AM: Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was hospitalized on Thursday due to an irregular heartbeat, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times and MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) after last night’s game against the Rockies.  The issue arose prior to the game, and Jansen has already been released and traveled from Denver to Los Angeles, where he will undergo more tests later today.  At a minimum, Jansen will miss the rest of this weekend’s series, Roberts said.

This isn’t the first time that Jansen has dealt with an irregular heartbeat during his career, as the issue arose during both the 2011 and 2012 seasons.  The right-hander missed around a month of action in both instances, and underwent heart surgery following the 2012 season in an attempt to fully solve the problem.

Jansen hadn’t had any further heart situations until last night, Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi told reporters.  Denver’s high altitude may well have played a factor, as Jansen’s irregular heartbeat episode in 2012 also took place during a Dodgers visit to Coors Field.

More details will be known about Jansen’s condition after he undergoes his further tests, though obviously any sort of recurring heart problem is of the utmost seriousness.  Both Jansen and the Dodgers will surely be as careful as possible in monitoring his condition, and even if this was something of a fluke incident caused by the Denver thin air, Jansen’s medical history surely means all parties will proceed with caution about a return to the field.  One positive sign is that Zaidi said Jansen was “feeling pretty normal right now, from what we understand.”

If Jansen is facing another absence of four or five weeks (like in 2011 and 2012), then the Dodgers will be without one of baseball’s best closers through the bulk of the late-season pennant race.  The L.A. bullpen has posted generally solid overall numbers this year, though obviously Jansen (2.15 ERA, 4.36 K/BB rate, 10.1 K/9) contributed heavily to those team totals.

Setup man Scott Alexander successfully converted a save opportunity against Colorado last night, and while Alexander doesn’t have much closing experience in his young career, he is the most logical short-term candidate to handle the ninth inning.  Pedro Baez is another option, while Josh Fields only just began a rehab assignment after missing almost six weeks with shoulder inflammation.

With a lack of experienced closing options on hand, the Dodgers could also explore the trade market.  The club was already known to be looking at bullpen help prior to the trade deadline, coming away with only veteran John Axford after looking at higher-profile names on the Rangers, Marlins, Rays, Orioles, and Tigers.  Several of the names linked to Los Angeles are still on the board as potential trade candidates, not to mention multiple other relief possibilities likely to be on the move in August.

Trade Rumblings: Hand, Dodgers, Dozier, Heaney, Skaggs

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Though the Phillies lost out to the Dodgers in the Manny Machado sweepstakes, they’re far from done looking for upgrades to their ballclub. Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets that the club is interested in Padres reliever Brad Hand. As Lin notes, there are certainly many other clubs in competition for the lefty’s services; he’s easily one of the most talented bullpen arms in the game. As one might expect, however, San Diego’s asking price for Hand remains very high, as he can be controlled through the 2021 season at a very reasonable cost. The Yankees, Indians and Cubs are among the other teams who’ve been connected to Hand, who owns a 3.03 ERA and 13.20 K/9 on the season.

More rumors and rumblings from around the league…

  • The Dodgers aren’t done yet, either, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports, as they’ll now pursue a reliever to help closer Kenley Jansen at the back end of their bullpen. It’s worth noting that Los Angeles will sit just a few million dollars below the luxury tax threshold following the acquisition of Machado, so any bullpen additions will likely come cheap, or send a player (such as Logan Forsythe) back to a trade partner in order to offset some of financial burden involved. In addition to Hand, Jeurys Familia, Zach Britton, Kirby Yates, Craig Stammen and Raisel Iglesias are just a few names who could be available.
  • Also in the aftermath of the Machado sweepstakes, the Brewers are left looking to acquire an infield upgrade. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that they’re expected to explore trading for Twins second baseman Brian Dozier. With Minnesota all but out of the the AL Central race already and Dozier set to become a free agent at season’s end, he makes plenty of sense as a potential trade target for the Brewers, despite a down season so far. The Brewers are also expected to explore pitching upgrades, Rosenthal adds.
  • Also from Rosenthal, the Angels aren’t likely to trade young starters Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs, despite previous reports that the club might consider doing so. The Angels see the two young southpaws as key components during a 2019 season in which they hope to contend. Rather, Rosenthal notes, the club is more interested in trading some of their relievers (he lists Jose Alvarez, Blake Parker, Cam Bedrosian and Justin Anderson), though they’d want a good enough return to justify giving up controllable players.

Dodgers Notes: Jansen, Darvish, Kemp

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In the latest example of player frustration over the stagnant free-agent market, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen illustrated that it’s not only unsigned players that are unhappy with how the offseason has played out. “Maybe we have to go on strike, to be honest with you,” Jansen told reporters at the team’s Fan Fest over the weekend (link via Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times). “…That is something we might have to address, so you don’t have a lot of Miami Marlins doing this. Maybe it’s an adjustment for us, as the players’ union.” Certainly, Jansen’s comments don’t speak for all players, but it’s nonetheless notable that the unrest has reached the point where such a prominent name is even suggesting it as a hypothetical. Jansen adds that he plans to speak with the union about his concerns. It’s likely, too, that he’ll have others who share his sentiment against the backdrop of the slowest free-agent market in MLB history. Of course, the current collective bargaining agreement runs through 2021, decreasing the chances of any near-term action being taken.

More out of Los Angeles…

  • In his latest Dodgers mailbag, Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times writes that Yu Darvish has “made it clear” that he’d like to return to the Dodgers, which is part of the reason that his market hasn’t moved forward. Darvish, according to McCullough, has been waiting to see if the Dodgers will be able to shed any money; McCullough notes that they’ve explored dealing from positions of depth by gauging interest in well-compensated veterans such as Yasmani Grandal, Logan Forsythe and Hyun-Jin Ryu, though clearly nothing much has come of those endeavors to date. The fact that he’s waited this long suggests some degree of mutual interest, though the Cubs, Twins and Brewers have been most prominently linked to Darvish in recent weeks.
  • McCullough also reports that the chances of Matt Kemp actually making the Dodgers’ roster out of Spring Training are “remote.” While Kemp is in better physical condition than he was in 2017 and will get some at-bats in the left field mix (where he’ll also get a chance to showcase himself for AL clubs), a team official tells McCullough that the reason Kemp wasn’t invited to the Dodgers’ Fan Fest was to avoid putting him in the uncomfortable position of having to answer questions about his future with the team. The Dodgers have Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor, Joc Pederson, Andrew Toles, Enrique Hernandez and Alex Verdugo all on the depth chart as well.
  • MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick also has quotes from GM Farhan Zaidi, manager Dave Roberts and Jansen about Kemp’s return. Zaidi notes that the Dodgers made the trade for Kemp knowing that they may not be able to find another taker and are prepared to hang onto him if he proves he can be an asset in Spring Training. “It’s our responsibility to keep our options open, to let it play out,” said Zaidi. “And if he can help us on the field, that’s what everybody wants.” Roberts, meanwhile, downplayed the previously rocky relationship between Kemp and Puig. “That was three years ago,” said the manager, noting that both players want to win. Both Roberts and Jansen suggested that is a welcome addition back to the clubhouse/roster.

Nationals Notes: Harris, Robertson, Bullpen, Rotation

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Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post shares an excellent look at Doug Harris’ road back to the Nationals following a diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia. Harris, the Nationals’ assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel, was away from the team for much of the 2016 season and underwent a bone marrow transplant early last October when the Nats were embarking on their playoff run. Harris discusses all of the elements of his job that were sorely missed with Svrluga, who also spoke to multiple members of Harris’ staff about his influence not only on the team but on their personal careers. Harris would eventually return to the Nationals on March 26 during Spring Training by surprising his staff with an appearance at a morning meeting and drawing a standing ovation from the roughly 45 executives who were assembled. “It was a moment I’ll never forget for the rest of my life,” Harris tells Svrluga. The entire column is wonderfully written and provides a terrific look at Harris’ personality and his importance to the Nationals organization.

A few more notes on the Nationals…

  • There’s been plenty of talk about the near-trade of David Robertson from the White Sox to the Nationals this offseason, but USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports the most definitive account of the talks in his latest column. According to Nightengale, the Nats were set to send young lefty Jesus Luzardo (last year’s third-round pick that has yet to pitch professionally due to the fact that he underwent Tommy John surgery prior to the draft) and minor league third baseman Drew Ward to the Sox in exchange for Robertson. Chicago was to absorb about half of the remaining money on Robertson’s deal, but the two sides were never fully able to agree on the financial component of the trade. It’s now reportedly been months since the two sides discussed a Robertson deal, and one has to imagine that the right-hander’s dominant start to the season has only helped Chicago’s leverage in talks with any interested parties. Robertson, 32, owns a 2.81 ERA with 22 strikeouts against five unintentional walks in 16 innings.
  • Within his column, Nightengale also notes that the Nats made a strong run at Greg Holland this offseason and offered a whopping $85MM over five years to Kenley Jansen (with just $5MM of that sum deferred). GM Mike Rizzo acknowledged to Nightengale that it’s “demoralizing” to lose games in the ninth inning and that it has become tired to continually hear about his bullpen needs when the rest of the team is performing so well. “We’re not afraid to make a trade, but the supply and demand of these elite relievers are far and between,” Rizzo tells Nightengale. “They’re so hard to get.”
  • Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com observes that the Nationals’ shaky bullpen has significantly taxed the rotation. As Zuckerman points out, there have been 26 instances of a starting pitcher throwing 115 or more pitches in a game throughout all of Major League Baseball this season, and the Nationals are responsible for five of those outings. The Nats also have 11 instances of a starter clearing the 110-pitch threshold in 2017, while MLB as a whole is at 80 such performances. And, furthermore, as ESPN’s Eddie Matz notes (Twitter link), the National League’s top five starting pitchers in terms of pitches per outing are: Tanner Roark, Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg. While Washington’s top four starters have held up fairly well thus far, both of those obviously represent fairly ominous trends and only serve to underline the Nationals’ need not just for a closer but to deepen the relief corps overall.

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