Angels Predicted to Trade $10 Million All-Star to AL West Rival in Shocking Move

Nov 7, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian speaks to the media during the MLB General Manager's Meetings at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Reliever Kenley Jansen was one of the Los Angeles Angels' biggest signings of the offseason, but one prediction has him leaving Anaheim at the trade deadline.

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ESPN insider Eric Karabell believes the Angels will lose their designated closer by July.

"RHP Kenley Jansen saves 31 games between the Angels and Rangers," Karabell writes. "It is his first MLB trade!"

A midseason trade would certainly squash the early excitement from the backend of the bullpen this spring. The arrival of Jansen suddenly made the bullpen more formidable.

Sophomore reliever Ben Joyce expressed excitement to team up with the 37-year-old. Joyce, 24, produced a 2.08 ERA once he earned a promotion to the big leagues in the final four months of the season.

He has tossed only 44.2 innings in the majors throughout parts of the last two seasons, and with Jansen as the Angels' closer, it gives Joyce time to gain more experience in a setup role.

“It’s exciting,” Joyce said, via The Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher. “That’s where you want to be as a closer, having almost 500 saves. It’s going to be awesome to learn from him and pick his brain every day. I’m just going to try to learn as much as I can from him. I’m really excited about it.”

Jansen is coming off his best mark since 2021 with a 3.29 ERA. In 2024, he recorded 27 saves in 31 opportunities for the Boston Red Sox. The veteran also voiced how eager he was to provide counsel for Joyce throughout the 2025 season.

“He’s awesome,” Jansen said. “I’m excited. I watched him pitch from the other side. Everything I can do to help him be an unbelievable closer in the future – he just has to stay healthy – I’m here to help. I want to push him and want him to push me, and for us to do something special down there in the back of the bullpen.”

The duo of Jansen and Joyce should prove to be quite the force in Anaheim, but based on Karabell's prediction, it will be short-lived.

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