Even before the season began, rumors swirled about the Boston Red Sox trading away veteran closer Kenley Jansen. The 36-year-old was an  All-Star last year — converting 29 of 33 save chances — but with a $16 million salary and an expiring contract, Jansen is unlikely to stay on a Red Sox team struggling to stay above .500.

With Boston failing to stay competitive in the AL East and many playoff teams needing Jansen's services, here are three trade destinations for four-time MLB All-Star Kenley Jansen.

Kenley Jansen scouting report

Though his stuff is not what it once was, Kenley Jansen is still one of Major League Baseball's best closers. Jansen is second among active MLB players with 429 saves — just two behind Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel. Since the start of 2022, the 36-year-old has converted 86.8% of his save chances while posting a 3.34 ERA.

Batters know what to expect when they face the right-hander: cutters, cutters, and more cutters. Jansen throws his trademark pitch 90% of the time, but opponents still can't figure it out. The Boston closer has a .200 batting average against his cutter this year, with just three extra-base hits allowed.

The veteran reliever is an ideal addition for any team looking for a dependable closer this summer.

Kenley Jansen trade destinations

Baltimore Orioles

With All-Star closer Felix Bautista missing the 2024 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, the Orioles went out and signed future Hall-of-Famer Craig Kimbrel to a one-year deal with a club option for a second year. The 36-year-old had a two-week slump spanning the end of April and the beginning of May in which he allowed five runs in six appearances, but has only given up one earned run outside of that stretch.

Kimbrel has paired with another All-Star, Yennier Cano, to form one of the best late-inning combos in baseball this year. The rest of the bullpen has also pitched well, but historically, Keegan Akin and Jacob Webb have been less dependable than they have shown in 2024. Bringing in Kenley Jansen gives Baltimore another reliable high-leverage pitcher — a necessity for the short turnarounds the O's will face in the postseason and the depth issues it could come up against down the stretch.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Is a reunion with the Dodgers in order? Since the club parted ways with Jansen after the 2021 season, no Dodgers player has recorded more than 30 saves in a season. Craig Kimbrel notched 22 in 2022, while Evan Phillips led the team with 24 saves in 2023. Phillips has quietly been dominant for LA during this stretch, posting a 1.67 ERA and converting 87.5% of his save chances, but manager Dave Roberts has still been reluctant to overly rely on the right-hander.

The Dodgers bullpen is 2nd in MLB in ERA and third in save percentage, but adding a veteran reliever like Kenley Jansen solidifies this unit as the best in the Majors.

Atlanta Braves

Could another one of Kenley Jansen's former teams pursue the All-Star closer? Like the Orioles, the Braves have a great bullpen, but with injuries to A.J. Minter, Tyler Matzek, and Jimmy Herget, the club could look to add more depth to its relief corps.

The Braves will also participate in the lucrative starting pitching market this summer. Strengthening their bullpen also offsets Spencer Strider's season-ending injury — doing so at a more affordable price than acquiring a high-level ace.