Ben Joyce

February 12, 2025

No longer expected to close

Joyce is unlikely to be the Angels' primary closer with the team's signing of Kenley Jansen (shoulder) on Monday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Analysis

The Angels and Jansen agreed on a one-year, $10 million contract Monday, which DiGiovanna notes will likely give Joyce "another year to grow into [the] closer role." It wouldn't make much sense for Los Angeles to have signed Jansen for any other reason than to serve as the team's primary closer, as he currently sits first among active players -- and fourth all-time -- with 447 regular-season saves. While Jansen may be nearing the end of his storied career, he showed he still has gas left in the tank with his performance for Boston last year, which included a 3.29 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 28.4 percent strikeout rate and 27 saves. It's still likely that Joyce will get an occasional save opportunity, per Sam Blum of The Athletic, but at least for one season it appears he will be an understudy to Jansen, which cuts down Joyce's fantasy appeal in most formats considerably.