Did Trevor Bauer’s ongoing case prevent Dodgers from re-signing Kenley Jansen?

The end of an era. After 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kenley Jansen is now with the Atlanta Braves. And the way this unfolded was quite bizarre.

According to reports, Jansen was seeking a three-year contract. The Dodgers were reportedly willing to offer two years, but due to the lockout preventing them from tinkering with their roster and payroll, they needed to clear payroll first.

In the end, that didn’t get done in time, and Jansen felt like he needed to make a decision. And when the Braves came with a one-year, $16 million offer, he felt like he couldn’t turn it down. Jansen revealed the Dodgers made a strong effort to retain him, but he didn’t feel comfortable waiting much longer.

Shortly after, we learned the Dodgers were looking to avoid that final luxury tax threshold — now regarded as the “Cohen Tax” because the New York Mets had far and away the highest payroll before the new CBA was signed into action — which could have prevented Jansen from re-joining the team.

And with that, we have to assume Trevor Bauer’s ongoing (and lagging) investigation played a significant role in affecting the Dodgers’ flexibility.

Trevor Bauer’s investigation affected the Dodgers’ ability to keep Kenley Jansen

Bauer is making $34 million against the luxury tax in 2022 after opting into his contract in November, but he’s on administrative leave until mid-April, meaning he cannot play but the Dodgers must pay him until MLB decides his fate.

After the LA District Attorney’s office decided Bauer would not face criminal charges, MLB has to make a decision on his status because the league reserves the right to discipline players based on the evidence presented to them. Though Bauer may not be facing jail time, that doesn’t mean he’s completely innocent. If you don’t understand that, please familiarize yourself with the United States court system.

At the moment, the Dodgers have $275 million committed to their Opening Day payroll, with the “Cohen Tax” nearby at $290 million. Jorge Castillo of the LA Times revealed the Dodgers wanted to remain under that final threshold (subscription required), and Jansen’s 2022 salary wouldn’t have allowed them to do so.

In the end, the Dodgers prioritized Freddie Freeman’s $162 million contract and would’ve had great difficulty clearing more salary if they had wished to do so. The only remaining potential casualties are David Price ($16 million) and possibly AJ Pollock ($13 million), if they even wanted to go in that direction (it’s evident they probably don’t).

So, while it’s not out of the question to blame Bauer’s situation with the league as the main culprit, don’t forget LA prioritized Freeman (reasonable), Andrew Heaney ($8.5 million), Tyler Anderson ($8 million), Daniel Hudson ($7 million) and Danny Duffy ($3 million), further adding to their payroll and getting closer to that $290 million mark.

They could’ve just signed Jansen early on and worked deals out with a number of other arms that weren’t in high demand, but they played their hand wrong and lost.

Kenley Jansen posts tribute to Dodgers fans after bolting for Braves

Kenley Jansen thanked the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and fanbase for helping "make me the man I am today" in a touching tweet.