ATLANTA — Chris Sale isn’t the only player who departed the Red Sox for the Braves last winter. And he’s not the only one who thought there was a good chance he’d be back in Boston for 2024.
Outfielder Adam Duvall left the Red Sox after one season for a third stint with the Braves, signing a one-year, $3 million deal with Atlanta on March 14. That deal came after a long offseason for Duvall, who talked with the Red Sox about a reunion but ultimately had to settle for a below-market deal two weeks before Opening Day. It turns out that from the beginning of the winter, Duvall had just two preferred locations on his list of possibilities.
“With my family, it was either here (Atlanta) or Boston,” Duvall said Wednesday at Truist Park. “The living arrangements we have in both cities helped. They’re both great places to play. But free agency is a whole other animal. You never know how it’s going to work out.”
After Trevor Story’s offseason elbow surgery forced the Red Sox to move Kiké Hernández to shortstop, the club signed Duvall to a one-year, $7 million deal last January. The team’s Opening Day center fielder, Duvall got off to a torrid start before breaking his wrist diving for a ball in Detroit in early April. He missed two months before returning and playing the final 3 ½ months of the season healthy. In 92 games, he totaled an impressive .834 OPS aided by 21 home runs and 24 doubles.
Entering the winter, the 35-year-old Duvall expected to match or exceed his 2023 salary after a very solid season. But the market was extremely slow and he was sitting at home without a job as camps opened in Florida and Arizona.
“From my personal standpoint, I felt like I wasn’t being valued as I should be,” he said. “I thought it was one of my better years. If it was up to me, I would sign for what I thought I should be valued at. But I don’t write the checks and I don’t sign players.
“I was very surprised. Sometimes, you’ve just got to make the best decision based on the circumstances you have in front of you. If we went into the offseason and you said I wouldn’t have signed four or five weeks into spring training, I’d have said you’re crazy. But it shows you where the state of free agency is.”
The Red Sox, Duvall said, were involved throughout the process. But the sides never got close to an agreement. Even without Duvall on the roster, the Sox entered the year with a crowded outfield mix of Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Tyler O’Neill, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder.
“There were (talks),” Duvall said. “They just never came to fruition.”
In mid-March, Duvall finally came off the market when he settled with the Braves, a team he had played for from 2018 to 2020 and again in 2021 (when he won a World Series) and 2022. His role is limited as a fourth outfielder behind Jarred Kelenic, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr.
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“That was really what needed to happen,” Duvall said. “Just because I was familiar, I felt like I could walk right in, get some at-bats and get off with the season. That was important and it was important for my family to be comfortable with where we’re going. That made it easier on me.”
Just because Duvall didn’t get to return to the Red Sox didn’t mean he didn’t like his one year in Boston.
“I enjoyed my time there,” he said. “I enjoyed the experience of playing at Fenway and playing in that city because I know how passionate the fan base is. My family really enjoyed it. It’s a year, it’s part of the journey.
“Your family gets to be a part of it. My son got to know Wally and Tessie, so it was a special time.”
Before Tuesday’s series opener between the teams, Duvall was greeted by a parade of former teammates who wanted to see him by the visitor’s dugout. It was testament to a large impact made in a short time with the Sox.
There was talk a little bit. He’s a good outfielder. When healthy, he can do damage. Against lefties and righties.
“He was a joy to have,” said manager Alex Cora. “Always prepared. That veteran leadership, we always talk about J.T. (Justin Turner) but he was very important to the group … He was such a good influence to the clubhouse in one year.”
