Should the Dodgers consider trading Kenley Jansen?

Why trading Kenley Jansen is crazy

Trading Kenley Jansen before the Dodgers are locked into paying him through 2021 sounds all good and dandy on paper, but no matter how disappointed you have been in Jansen’s game recently, he is still a legitimate back-of-the-bullpen reliever with experience in pressure situations who the Dodgers would have an impossible time replacing in the near-term.

Teams looking to win a championship don’t give up on veteran arms toward the end of their contracts; they look to acquire as many bullpen options as they can to bolster an area of utmost importance during a pennant race and postseason.

If the Dodgers traded Jansen, who is really going to replace him? Pedro Baez? Joe Kelly? What then happens to the set-up role? It would be a nice story to see Blake Treinen rebound, but it’s far from a guarantee. A weakness would suddenly become a huge gap if Jansen was traded. Of course, president Andrew Friedman could look to acquire another reliever to replace Jansen, but at what cost?

With Jansen picking up his $38 million, two-year option this past offseason, even with reduced pay in 2020 from a shortened season, he is a pricey addition for another club. If Friedman wanted to fetch anything of positive value in return for the closer, the Dodgers would probably end up being responsible for most of his contract anyway.

The only teams who would be looking to acquire a player like Jansen this season would be contending teams, or the same teams the Dodgers would be competing against to win a World Series.

Meanwhile, Jansen spent the offseason trying to improve his mechanics in hopes of a bounce-back season in 2020. He made the pilgrimage to Driveline Baseball and the results were immediate. He struck out eleven of the eighteen batters he faced over six appearances in Spring Training, allowing only one earned run.

Dodgers Prospects: Three rookies that could make debut in 2020

The Los Angeles Dodgers could see another trio of prospects make their way to Chavez Ravine for their MLB debut in 2020.

The Dodgers will need Jansen to rebound in 2020, if a season is actually played, for them to compete for a championship. Now is not the time to trade him, it’s the time to count on him more than ever.