Local baseball fans who remember Kenley Jansen when he played for the very first Great Lakes Loons team in 2007 and again in 2008, will now have a chance to see Major League Baseball’s active saves leader pitch for the Detroit Tigers.
Jansen and the Tigers have agreed on a one-year contract pending a physical, according to ESPN.
Jansen stands at 476 saves, which ranks him fourth on the all-time saves list behind Lee Smith (478), Trevor Hoffman (601) and Mariano Rivera (651).
Jansen, 38, was actually a catcher when he joined the Loons, but eventually became a pitcher in 2009 due in part to his strong arm and light hitting. He made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 and became an All-Star closer, winning a World Series with the team in 2020 before leaving as a free agent after the 2021 season.
Since then, Jansen has pitched for the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels.
Jansen becomes the second former Loons player on the current Tigers roster, joining Zach McKinstry, who made the All-Star Team for the first time last season with Detroit.