Earlier in the week, we were about finished when they got involved. They asked if we could listen. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Ned. |
He's confident he will still be playing at a high level then. The Braves made a good effort and the Cubs did too. He turned down longer terms from other teams. We probably could have gotten close to this much money and twice as many years. But this was the right thing and the right team. |
It was tough for him. It really was. He had agonized to get to the Braves and Cubs, trying to make the decision between those two. |
We felt comfortable, especially with the dollars. Even with the Dodgers, we wanted a three-year out. He'll be 31 when this contract runs out. We feel like he's just hitting his prime. |