Kenley Jansen: Should the Los Angeles Dodgers look elsewhere?

The Los Angeles Dodgers once had the most dominant closer in the league in Kenley Jansen, who has since come back down to earth and then some.

Sitting behind home plate nerves in my stomach looking at the scoreboard the Los Angeles Dodgers have a two-run lead on the Tampa Bay Rays.  It is the bottom of the ninth and three outs should wrap up the Dodgers 99th win of the season keeping them on pace for the best record in baseball with the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.

With “California Love” playing over the sound speakers in Dodger Stadium, what was once automatic has now become an exercise in anxiety and dread.

Kenley Jansen came to the mound to close out the game and over the next few minutes the Rays would tie the score 6-6, boos would rain down from the stadium crowd, and Dodgers fans would walk out of the stadium wondering what went wrong.

Throughout his career, Jansen has been the Dodgers stalwart in the bullpen. A converted catcher Jansen used a sharp cutter to rack up a team record 298 (and counting) saves, 2.47 ERA, and a 13.3 SO/9 ratio.

In the playoffs, Jansen has been even better with a 2.08 ERA, his 16 postseason saves are third all-time, and 12.8 SO/9 ratio. Jansen has sometimes come in to make four and five out saves to close playoff games. By any measurable number, Jansen is the greatest relief pitcher in Dodgers history.

Despite all of his accolades and achievements, the 2019 season has not insulated Jansen from the growing criticisms and doubts.

2019 has been the worst year of Jansen’s career he has a 3.81 ERA, so far his 75 strikeouts are the lowest total in a year where he pitches 50 games, and there are the blown saves. Jansen has eight of those after melting down against the Rays, they represent a career-high and his 79 percent save conversion is the lowest since 2012 his first year as closer.

WIth Jansen struggling all season long the Dodgers for the first time during their seven-year playoff stretch go into October with their closer as their biggest question mark. With a 31-year-old World Series title drought coming off back to back series losses, Jansen’s struggles may create a drastic situation.

Even if the Dodgers make it back to the World Series Jansen may not be the answer to them raising the trophy. In 2017 with a chance to go up in the series 2-0 Jansen blew game two giving up a home run in the top of the ninth. Last year Jansen blew leads in games three and four precipitating the Dodgers loss in five games.

With that kind of recent history and his terrible 2019, the Los Angeles Dodgers must seriously consider that Kenley Jansen is no longer an option as a closer in October. The other Dodgers relievers have improved where Jansen has continued to falter, for a team desperate to win a World Series then when the time comes the Dodgers may choose to look beyond Jansen.