Dodgers: The Reason Why LA Let Kenley Jansen Walk Revealed
There's no doubt that the Dodgers made a genuine effort to re-sign longtime closer Kenley Jansen. In the end, Jansen ended up signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves.
The Dodgers organization, from Dave Roberts, to Clayton Kershaw, to Andrew Friedman, definitely wanted Jansen back with the organization.
According to The LA Times' Jorge Castillo, the luxury tax rate included in the new CBA was the defining denominator in the Dodgers decision to not ink Jansen.
“The Dodgers were one of a few clubs willing to commit to two years. But the situation was complicated when they agreed to a six-year, $162-million deal with former Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman last Wednesday. The development produced a new wrinkle: To keep their payroll under $290 million and avoid the resulting 80% tax rate, the Dodgers wanted Jansen to wait until they shed payroll before signing.”
Essentially, Jansen didn't want to risk his pay day by waiting for the Dodgers to clear cap space to re-sign him. The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya reporting confirmed that theory from Jansen himself.
“Two days before I signed with the Braves, I started to feel that the Dodgers had to make stuff happen…That’s when I had to make the decision to choose someone else, and I chose the Braves.”
It wasn't personal, it was strictly business.
By all accounts, the Dodgers-Jansen was an amicable split. The organization released a one minute, 34 second tribute video that doubled as a "thank you" to the franchise's all-time saves leader.
Even for the big-spending Dodgers, re-signing Jansen to a multi-year deal was a bridge too far.
