12 Red Sox Who Won't Be Back in 2025 After Falling Short of Playoffs Again

1. Kenley Jansen

Jansen, an unrestricted free agent heading into this offseason, has likely thrown his last pitch in a Boston Red Sox uniform. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 23 with right shoulder inflammation and was unavailable for Boston's final seven contests.

Jansen made headlines during the last weekend of the regular season. First, it was reported on Friday night that the closer had gone home, with his nameplate and locker being replaced at Fenway Park. This was followed by reporting from Sean McAdam on Sunday revealing that Jansen had ruffled some feathers in the clubhouse:

"Multiple players, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, registered their disappointment over Jansen’s early departure, though one added: 'I can’t say I’m too surprised.' Jansen was known to be somewhat aloof during his time with the Sox, at times unsure of some teammates’ names."

- Sean McAdam on Kenley Jansen

That reporting was then followed up on Sunday by manager Alex Cora saying that any players upset with Jansen's departure should come to Cora's office and speak with him. It was quite the dysfunctional end to Jansen's time with the Red Sox.

Despite Boston's horrific bullpen struggles, Jansen put in a solid season when available. He appeared in 54 games for the Red Sox, posting a 4-2 record with a 3.29 ERA while converting 27 of his 31 save opportunities.

Across two seasons in Boston, Jansen featured in 105 games and racked up 56 saves with a 3.44 ERA. The 15-year vet was serviceable during his time with the Red Sox, make no mistake. The fact that the Red Sox were already trying to move on from him last offseason doesn't instill a ton of faith that Jansen will be back again in 2025 either.

He turns 37 on Sept. 30 and has collected the fourth-most saves in MLB history with 447. Only Lee Smith (448), Trevor Hoffman (601), and Mariano Rivera (652) have more.

Appearing on "Foul Territory" on July 11, Jansen revealed, "I wanna see myself retiring in Dodger blue." Jansen came up through the Dodgers farm system and spent 12 years in Los Angeles.

The Red Sox didn't really want Jansen on the team last offseason, Jansen doesn't really seem to want to be in Boston, and now the veteran is a free agent. He might just get that opportunity to retire in Dodger blue.

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