MLB Trade Rumors: Dodgers Linked To 4-Time All-Star Closer

The Los Angeles Dodgers are who we thought they were. At 7-2, they head up the National League West as per usual and are once again looking like the team to beat in that division.

But that doesn't mean they won't continue to look to upgrade their club as the season goes along, and according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, they're already a candidate for a legendary closer expected to be on the trade market. And it's a very familiar name in LA.

Kenley Jansen is another potential July trade piece. He expected to be on a contender with Boston. His old Dodgers team looks like a candidate for him.

Jansen, of course, spent the first 12 years of his major league career with the Dodgers, and posted three of his four All-Star appearances with the team. He recorded 350 saves with a 2.37 ERA in his dozen years on the West Coast with a 0.93 WHIP. 

But one big difference between that 'Dodger' Jansen and the current edition is that he left LA at the age of 33, while the 15-year veteran will be turning 37 before this season is over. Jansen is indeed beginning to show his age as a bad back has already hampered him in the early stages of this season with the Boston Red Sox.

Jansen went to the Atlanta Braves after leaving the Dodgers and recorded a league-leading 41 saves in the ATL. He's spent 2023 and now this season with Boston. He had 29 saves last year with a 3.63 ERA and the highest WHIP of his career at 1.28. 

We'll see if Jansen can maintain his health and performance enough by July to still be a viable trade candidate. 

Photo: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports