GLENDALE, Ariz. — On the one hand, it was the pinnacle of his baseball career. Finally, the Dodgers won a World Series championship.

But it also had to be painful for Kenley Jansen, the franchise’s all-time saves leader, to watch from the bullpen as someone else (Julio Urias) closed out the title-clinching game.

“(It’s a) team sport,” Jansen said quickly when the question was raised during a Zoom interview Wednesday – his first time talking to the media since that World Series clincher.

“When someone’s fallen, someone picks you up. Most of the time, I pick everybody up, most of my career. It’s a team sport, and Julio was throwing the ball really well that postseason, the whole postseason. So you have to give credit to the front office, Doc (Dave Roberts) and everybody. At the end of the day, we all win the championship. Of course, I feel like I could be out there and get the last out. But Doc just kept riding Julio because he was throwing the ball really well that game and the whole postseason.”

That decision – and the decision to use Urias to close out Game 7 of the National League Championship Series as well – seemed a clear sign that the Dodgers had lost faith in their closer and opened the door for a debate heading into 2021 on whether Jansen should still fill the role he has held for most of the past nine seasons.

“At the end of the day, I know who I am. I know what I’m capable of doing,” Jansen said. “So whatever image is out there right now, that’s not me. That’s all I can say, and I’m gonna stay true to myself. I’m gonna keep putting work in … because at the end of the day I know who I am and I know what I’m capable of doing. So it’s a debate of you guys. You guys can have it, and hopefully, I can spoil you guys again.”

The Dodgers were spoiled by Jansen for many years. His performance has declined in the past few years, though.

Through 2017, his career ERA was 2.08 with an 0.87 WHIP and an average of 14 strikeouts per nine innings. He converted 90 percent of his save opportunities (230 of 256).

But he blew two saves in the 2017 World Series and has not reached the same dominant levels since. Over the past three seasons, his velocity has diminished. The movement of his cutter is not as reliable and his stats have reflected it – a 3.34 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 11 strikeouts per nine innings while converting 85 percent of his save opportunities (82 of 96).

Nonetheless, both Roberts and Andrew Friedman said this winter that the best possible version of the Dodgers’ 2021 bullpen has Jansen firmly entrenched at closer. Roberts re-affirmed that Wednesday after watching Jansen strike out the side in a Cactus League game.

“He’s a guy that’s done it time and time again,” Roberts said. “He gets left and right out. And it also just frees up a lot of other guys to get the right matchups that we need.

“He didn’t have a bad year last year (his average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage during the regular season were actually the lowest of his career). I think that he wasn’t throwing his best in the postseason. And I think that people are quick to be reactionary. For me to kind of continue to instill confidence – and confidence that is deserved in the player – I think is important. Until it’s not, until there needs to be a change. I just don’t feel that with what he’s done recently, as far as last year, warrants talk of a change. … So I just felt that at that point in time in the winter Kenley was our best option and still is our best option to close games.”

After a winter during which he altered his workout routine – focusing more on explosiveness and athleticism and less on heavy weight lifting – Jansen has worked to be “more efficient” and regain better command of his pitches by maintaining a consistent delivery. The results have been impressive – as much as they can be in spring training. Jansen has faced 16 hitters in five spring innings and he has struck out nine of them, allowing just two hits and walking none.

It almost looks like he’s trying to prove something.

“I don’t want to sound cocky, man. To me, I don’t feel like I have anything to prove but to just get better,” Jansen said. “I know who I am and I know what I can do. I know what I’m capable of doing if I’m right, if everything is in its place.

“So to me – no. To give you an honest (answer), I don’t feel like I have anything to prove but to get the job done. That’s what they pay me to do here, get the job done and I’m gonna prove that I can get the job done.”

The Dodgers will pay Jansen $20 million to do that job this year. But his contract ends this season and Jansen could find himself a free agent at age 34. He nearly left the Dodgers for the Washington Nationals following the 2016 season before re-signing. The market for his services could be very different next winter.

“Seventeen years in this organization – I can’t take any one of them for granted,” Jansen said. “I’m thankful. I’m grateful to be a part of one of the most historic organizations of the Dodgers. … The love I’ve got for this organization I will always have, no matter what happens in the future. But I’m not gonna take any days for granted, wearing the Dodger blue.

“Right now, it’s one day at a time. … I love my teammates and I don’t take anything for granted. You never know what’s gonna happen in the future.”

Whether Jansen is motivated by proving himself or marketing himself for next winter, Roberts just thinks “that’s a good thing.”

“Any time you get a very talented, motivated player – whatever the motivation might be – I think that’s a good thing,” Roberts said. “That’s a good thing for him and that’s a good thing for the Dodgers. Yeah, I definitely think he’s motivated – or if you want to put it as he has something to prove. The bottom line is I like where he’s at.”

ALSO

Outfielder Cody Bellinger had the day off Wednesday after making his first Cactus League appearance Tuesday. Roberts said Bellinger will start again Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. …

Right-handers Mitch White and Brusdar Graterol threw bullpen sessions Wednesday. White was set back early in camp by a sore arm. Graterol threw 25 pitches including sliders, according to Roberts and “looked really good.” Neither is ready to pitch in games yet.

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