Worst decision made by Red Sox for allowing him go this way.

The Boston Red Sox entered July five games above .500 and within two games of a wild-card spot. To The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, that makes it clear that the team should be buyers at the trade deadline. What’s less clear is what they should do with Kenley Jansen.

Rosenthal outlined the conditions on which the Red Sox should trade their soon-to-be free agent reliever — a player whom experts once assumed was destined to be traded while the Red Sox were struggling to stay at .500.

“For all the talk of moving Kenley Jansen, the Red Sox should only do it if they can find a team willing to trade a potential free agent starter for a potential free agent reliever,” Rosenthal wrote in a piece published Monday, July 1.

Jansen is in the last year of a two-year, $32 million deal with Boston, and at 36, is still showing he can be among the best relievers in the game. He has 16 saves this season for the Red Sox with a 2.22 ERA, more than a strikeout an inning, and a 2.10 FIP.

---

The Red Sox Could Trade Kenley Jansen for a Starter

It’s a hard sell to flip a reliever rental for a starter rental; the starter will provide more innings and is generally considered more valuable.

Rosenthal floated the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler as a possibility, though he conceded it might not be the perfect fit. Buehler is currently on the injured list with right hip inflammation and is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery. It would be a risky move for either side.

If the Dodgers’ starters begin limping back from the injured list, that could make someone like James Paxton available, though the Red Sox might want to aim higher. Michael Wacha is another intriguing name, and the Royals should be looking for bullpen help.

After a slow start to the season, Wacha has been electric. Over his past 7 starts, he has a 2.43 ERA with opponents hitting .203 off him. Coincidentally, his contract matches up with Jansen’s almost exactly — it would just be two playoff caliber teams swapping to address areas of need.

A survey of 35 baseball executives showed Jansen as the third most likely reliever to be traded before July 30, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.

Bowden wrote on June 26 that it was “hard for me to believe they would trade their closer at the deadline. However, rival execs reminded me there could be several ‘buyer to buyer’-type trades this year and that Jansen could be expendable in the right swap.”