SAN DIEGO — In the middle of an offseason in which they’ve come up short signing several targets, the Red Sox landed an important one on Wednesday morning.

Kenley Jansen, the 35-year-old closer who won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2020 and was again effective in the ninth inning for the Braves in 2022, agreed to a two-year, $32 million deal with the Red Sox, as first reported by ESPN.

The Jansen signing will give the Red Sox bullpen some much-needed help after it was successful on just 57% of save opportunities in 2022, when Boston relievers blew 29 saves in 69 chances.

The trouble stemmed from the disappointing season by former closer Matt Barnes, who lost his confidence and struggled in the first half, though he found some momentum at season’s end.

If Barnes can return to form, the Red Sox do have some firepower in the bullpen. With Barnes, Jansen, Tanner Houck, John Schreiber and recently signed Chris Martin and Joely Rodriguez, there are enough arms for Manager Alex Cora to have less trouble navigating the late innings.

Jansen saved a league-high 41 games for the Braves this past season, when he struck out 85 batters walked 22 in 64 innings, with a 3.38 ERA, near-identical numbers to those from 2021, his last season with the Dodgers. With 391 saves and a career 2.41 ERA, Jansen is one of the most established relievers in the game.

He’s also a postseason veteran who has a 2.20 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 65 1/3 playoff innings.

The Braves landed Jansen on a one-year, $16 million deal last year, but the Red Sox doubled it to make sure they didn’t miss out on another offseason target.

• Masataka Yoshida, an outfielder regarded as one of the best hitters in Japan, agreed to sign with Boston on a contract that will pay him $90 million over the next five years, according to multiple reports.

The Red Sox will also have to pay Yoshida’s club, the Orix Buffaloes, a posting fee of more than $15 million.

Yoshida projects has a leadoff hitter. He had a .449 on-base percentage in 2022 while walking 82 times to just 42 strikeouts. He slugged a career-high 29 homers in 2019 and has averaged more than 20 home runs over the last five years.

He’s not considered a great defensive player, which means he’ll probably take over in left field.

RULE 5 DRAFT: The Red Sox lost three intriguing young pitchers – including one in very surprising fashion – in Wednesday’s Rule 5 draft.

Right-hander Thad Ward was selected by the Nationals with the first overall pick. Then, after the Orioles took reliever Andrew Politi, the Phillies pulled off a shocker by drafting righty Noah Song. Song, who was once considered one of Boston’s top pitching prospects after being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, has not pitched in four seasons due to his commitment to the Navy. The Red Sox have not provided any recent updates on his future status.

Ward (No. 23) and Politi (No. 42) ranked among the top 45 prospects in the organization (by SoxProspects) and were considered strong candidates to be taken after the Red Sox didn’t protect them by putting them on their 40-man roster last month. Song’s name doesn’t appear on prospect lists but is the most intriguing name of the bunch. Because his military service requires him to be placed on the restricted list, he won’t count against the 40-man roster (or Rule 5 rules) until he’s ready and able to pitch again.

Ward, a right-hander who turns 26 in January, was a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft. He pitched well in his first two minor league seasons but then didn’t pitch in 2020 because there was no minor-league season, and he had Tommy John surgery in June 2021. He returned midway through 2022 and impressed, posting a 2.28 ERA in 13 starts, finishing with seven starts for the Portland Sea Dogs. Ward also flashed an electric pitch mix in the Arizona Fall League, posting a 2.84 ERA and striking out 15 batters in 12 2/3 innings.

Politi had a 2.34 ERA in 69 1/3 relief innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2022. He was a candidate to be promoted to the major league bullpen at the end of last season.

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