With Jansen and Joyce, Halos' 'pen could be 'something special'

TEMPE, Ariz. -- After a breakout rookie season that saw him post a 0.83 ERA over his final 28 outings of the year and hit as high as 105.5 mph on the radar gun with his fastball, it looked like Ben Joyce might get a chance to be the club’s closer in 2025.

But the Angels signed veteran right-hander Kenley Jansen to a one-year deal worth $10 million on Feb. 15 to be their closer, shifting Joyce into a setup role. The Angels believe Jansen, MLB’s active saves leader with 447, will serve as the perfect mentor to Joyce, who isn’t quite ready to assume the duties of being a full-time closer.

Both relievers made their Cactus League debuts in the Angels' 5-0 win over the A’s on Saturday, as Jansen threw a 1-2-3 fourth inning and Joyce hurled a scoreless seventh with a strikeout. Afteward, both said they are excited to work together this season and build a dominant back end of the bullpen.

"It's something very special, man,” Jansen said. “I’m going to do everything I can do to help him. I think he's going to be an unbelievable closer in the future. He’s just gotta stay healthy. But I’m here to push him. I want him to push me and for us to do something really special down there at the back, at the end of the bullpen.”

Joyce, 24, got his first taste of closing last year after the Angels traded veteran Carlos Estévez to the Phillies at the Trade Deadline, going 4-for-4 in save opportunities down the stretch before being shut down on Sept. 3 with right shoulder discomfort. His health concerns and the fact he only pitched on consecutive days two times last year were reasons why the Angels brought in Jansen to close this season. But Joyce said he’s excited to learn from him, and will embrace his role as a setup reliever.

"It's definitely a different mindset. I'd love to pick his brain on how he approaches it, especially the day to day,” Joyce said. “To have to do it back to back or three days in a row, just kind of how he goes about that mentally. Because it’s definitely a different ballgame, and even physically.”

Angels manager Ron Washington loves what both Jansen and Joyce bring to the bullpen, but noted that they still have to be cautious with Joyce. The club is trying to build him up so that he can withstand the rigors of being a regular closer in the future, but he still has to gain that experience. He's thrown just 44 2/3 career innings in the Majors and 49 2/3 innings in the Minors since being selected in the third round of the 2022 Draft out of the University of Tennessee.

"We’ve got to really be careful because he showed us that he can give us one inning or an inning-plus, and if we do that with him, sometimes we're going to lose him [for a day or two],” Washington said. “So we've just got to watch him and see if he could take over just being an eighth-inning guy because we've got guys that can take care of the sixth and the seventh. But last year, he was our weapon."

Catcher Logan O’Hoppe, Joyce’s roommate this spring, said he believes Joyce will put it all together because of his intense work ethic. Joyce became unhittable last year after adding a sinker -- or “splinker” -- to his arsenal that he pairs with his incredible four-seamer, his slider and occasional changeup.

"He's one of the hardest workers we have, such a pro in everything he does, and he's going to be in a big role for us,” O’Hoppe said. “He's ready for whatever that role may be. And I'm grateful that we have him, because obviously I don't want to stand there with a bat in my hand against him.”

Jansen, 37, also believes he has plenty left in the tank, as the likely future Hall of Famer is aiming to become the third closer to ever reach 500 career saves. The 15-year veteran had a 3.29 ERA with 27 saves with the Red Sox last year and thinks the Angels can surprise with their young core and mix of veterans this season.

"My expectation is to help this ballclub win ball games,” Jansen said. “We have a very young, exciting team around here. And I want to just bring my experience. It’s about how we are gonna get better, that's all I care about. It's just about winning ball games.”