LAKELAND, FL — Kenley Jansen is one of the most accomplished relievers in Major League Baseball history yet he still feels like he has a lot more to give to the game.
The 38-year-old, born in Willemstad, Curaçao, signed with the Detroit Tigers this past offseason on a one year deal worth $11 million, and didn’t do it just to chase numbers, such as 500 career saves (24 away).
“I think it’s a really good team, man,” Jansen said of the Tigers and the team’s potential for 2026 in an interview with Latino Sports over the weekend during Spring Training. “You know, top to bottom. And the farm system is one of the best. You know, you see some young studs about to come up here soon. (A.J.) Hinch also makes this club have a winning culture in the clubhouse, and he sold this pretty well with me, too.”
Kenley Jansen believes the 2026 Tigers have what it takes to be one of the top teams in the American League and in all of MLB – Image Credit: Larry C. Arreguin/Latino Sports
Jansen, spending the 2025 MLB season with the Angels, earning a nod on the prestigious 2025 LatinoMVP Award ballot for American League Reliever of the Year, was locked into Detroit’s postseason run and felt that he was one of the missing pieces that could have helped them advance further. This year, Jansen will get a chance to prove just that.
“It’s unbelievable to just be on the ballot and an honor,” he said of the news of being on the 2025 LatinoMVP Award ballot.
“When you hear stuff like that about the award for your own personal knowledge, you know, I think it’s very motivating for me to keep going to be that guy.”
The right-handed reliever entering his 17th MLB season, recording 476 career MLB saves, which is fourth all-time, with 1,278 strikeouts, ranking fifth all-time among relievers—could soon be experiencing his final time of playing in a World Baseball Classic and for the Netherlands.
He along with others such as Ozzie Albies and Xander Bogaerts, natives of Curaçao, are eligible to play because Curaçao is a colony of the Netherlands. Jansen also played for the Netherlands in the 2017 WBC as a pitcher and 2009 WBC as a catcher—the only player in history of the WBC to catch and pitch on the same team.
And this time will be even sweeter because he will be managed by his idol Andruw Jones, the newest Cooperstown inductee, heading to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum alongside Puerto Rican Carlos Beltrán.
“I’ve known Andruw for a while,” Jansen said. “It’s awesome to be able to play for him, and especially for me, it’s an honor. We looked up to him growing up, and now, he’s our manager.”
“That’s such a big deal. Growing up, being in Curaçao, born and raised, a Braves fan before Andruw Jones because my parents were Braves fans. The next thing you know, Andruw Jones got to the bigs… he hit those two homers in (Game 1) of the (1996) World Series, that made us really believe, man. And that was awesome. From there, we all wanted to be like Andruw Jones.”
He added his sincere gratitude to the Netherlands for giving him the WBC opportunities, stating “It’s just a big thank you to the Netherlands for letting me participate one more time, because that’s when the journey really started as a catcher. And doing all the sensational plays, and next thing you know, because of my arm, they put me on the mound and here I am.”
Jansen, whose brother was also a minor leaguer with the Braves, signed with the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent in 2004 out of Curaçao and was listed as a catcher at the time of his signing. He was in Los Angeles’ minor league farm system in 2008 when a 31-year-old Jones was on the Dodgers’ MLB roster.
In the second half of the 2009 season, he made the conversion from catcher to reliever, and a year later, he made his debut out of the Dodgers bullpen.
Kenley Jansen aired out his excitement on his Instagram profile soon after signing with the Tigers back in December of 2025 – Image Credit: @kenleyjansen74/Kenley Jansen’s Instagram
Since then, Jansen has become a four-time All-Star, two-time Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award winner and World Series champion—winning with the Dodgers in 2020.
He signed with the Tigers because he thinks he can help them do the same in 2026.
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