Angels need to make fringe Hall of Fame closer their top offseason priority

The Angels went into the offseason with some real financial strain. By trading away Taylor Ward (and his $13 million deal) for Grayson Rodriguez (and his ~$820,000 deal), not only did they improve a huge position of need but they opened up some much needed payroll in the process. And with this extra money, they have the ability to be far more aggressive than previously expected (Perry Minasian practically said so himself). And with that extra money, there is one free agent that the Angels need to be aggressive in bringing back for 2026 and beyond.

Kenley Jansen was arguably the best closing pitcher in all of baseball last season. His 2.59 ERA and 29 saves speak for themselves, but a deeper dive shows that Jansen had one of the best seasons of his entire Hall of Fame career for the Halos in 2025. He accumulated 2.4 WAR, the fifth highest number of his 16-year career, showing he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. And outside of a single six-run outing against the Detroit Tigers, Jansen posted a 1.70 ERA over the course of all his other appearances in 2025. And with a barren bullpen, the Angels cannot afford to lose the best closer in baseball.

Angels need to make fringe Hall of Fame closer their top offseason priority

Reid Detmers is already heading to the Angels' rotation next season, leaving the role of their best setup man open for someone new. If the Halos are going to contend next season, losing their closer as well would be a huge hill to climb. Kenley Jansen pitched himself into a multi-year contract, and with Raisel Iglesias setting the table for relievers this offseason, the Angels and Jansen now have a deal to base their opening offers off of.

Iglesias earned himself a one-year, $16 million contract. Given his 1.96 ERA in 2025, the Angels and Jansen working out a multi-year deal in the range of $12 million per season sounds like a good starting point. Given his age compared to Iglesias' (38 and 35, respectively) the risk of Jansen falling off is higher than Iglesias despite the Hall of Fame track record. The Athletic predicted a one-year deal worth $10 million for Jansen, but the Angels may have to pay up both financially and duration given their 11-year playoff drought.

And they absolutely should do so. The Angels need Jansen, full stop. They have the chance to do what they dreamed to with Albert Pujols - watch a Hall of Famer chase all-time records while helping the ball club win. Pujols did the former, but Jansen showed in 2025 that he could both earn his 500th save (placing himself third on the all-time saves list) as a Halo while also helping them end their MLB-worst playoff drought.