Red Sox Deadline Acquisition Ditches Boston For $8.5 Million Deal With Rival Rays

Once a friend, now an enemy...

Sep 19, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen (28) looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox can close the book on one of Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow's first deadline trades.

In July, the Red Sox acquired former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen for minor-league infielders Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino and right-handed pitcher Gilberto Batista. Jansen wound up being the only position player the Red Sox acquired at the deadline, which disappointed fans who had seized on Breslow's stated goal of bringing in a right-handed bat.

The rest of the campaign didn't go so well for Jansen, who was a true rental and became a free agent when Boston's season ended. Aside from accomplishing the quirky feat of becoming the first big-leaguer to play for both teams in the same game, he didn't amount to much production.

There was some smattering that Jansen could be a reunion candidate for the Red Sox, but only as a short-term option until top prospect Kyle Teel arrived as the full-time starter. Instead, he'll be playing against Boston 13 times next season for a team that's perennially been a thorn in the Red Sox's side.

On Friday, Jansen chose the Tampa Bay Rays as his next team, moving to his third AL East team in a two year span, and inking a one-year, $8.5 million deal. Robert Murray of FanSided was the first to report the news.

"Jansen had multi-year offers, but chose to bet on himself coming off a down season, and goes to a place where he will get consistent playing time," Murray said in his post annoucing the signing.

Jansen's Boston tenure will be remembered as a disappointing one, especially if any of the prospects they gave up for him amount to something in Toronto. He played in just 30 games with the Red Sox, spanning 96 at-bats, and slashed .188/.323/.300, good for only a 75 OPS+.

Now a Ray, Jansen could come back to haunt the Red Sox if he ever rediscovers the form he had in his best season, in 2022 with the Blue Jays. That year, he put up a 142 OPS+ and was worth 2.9 bWAR in just 72 games.

It's not common for part-time catchers to make teams regret letting them go, but the Rays would certainly be the stereotypical team that could burn the Red Sox by getting the most out of Jansen.

More MLB: Red Sox Predicted To Pursue Blockbuster For Struggling $47.5M World Series Champ