Kenley Jansen's shot at Dodgers fans falls even flatter after recent struggles

Kenley Jansen is undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer — racking up his 450th career save with the Angels this year all but solidified that — but the Dodgers have repeatedly and rightfully resisted multiple pleas from their former closer of 12 years to come back to the team.

While he was with the Red Sox last year, Jansen openly admitted to wanting to retire in Dodger blue, and he continued to be loosely connected to the team during his free agency in the offseason. Instead, the Dodgers signed Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates while Jansen had to settle for a different part of LA in the twilight of his career. He signed with the Angels on a one-year, $10 million deal.

But maybe there are still some hard feelings that the Dodgers haven't reciprocated his interest since he left, or that he had to cede the final out of the 2020 World Series to a different pitcher, but he took a shot at Dodgers fans during this past weekend's Freeway Series.

"Everyone who thought that I was done was a motivation for me," Jansen said. "So I have to thank all of them for making me who I am today. Oh, he's done. He's washed. At the end of the day, I'm still who I am. And I appreciate them, and I love those doubters. So I'm going to continue to work hard, and I think I have few more years left in the tank, and I want to accomplish great things."

Kenley Jansen took a salty shot at Dodgers fans despite leaving four years ago

That sentiment might hold a little more weight if Jansen didn't currently have a 5.02 ERA, mostly thanks to a disastrous 2/3 innings against the Tigers on May 2, when he gave up six earned runs including four homers in the top of the ninth, breaking open what had been a 1-1 game before he'd taken the mound.

To be fair, he closed two games against the Dodgers over the weekend while the Angels swept and only gave up two hits, but there's no question that he is declining and is far from elite at this point.

He might want to do this for a couple more years, but at this point it might be very difficult for him to find a team that will actually take him on. We're all for a "haters are my motivators" mentality, but it should actually be backed by good performance if you really want to sell it.