Starting Pitcher Explains Why He Chose Rangers Over Red Sox Last Winter

The Boston Red Sox notably spent the majority of last offseason getting rejected in free agency, frequently finishing in second place when it came to acquiring new talent.

A huge part of the problem was former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's unwillingness to slightly overpay seemingly due to fear of losing a negotiation. 

Another reoccurring factor was location. Many of the players the Red Sox were outbid for decided to play for their hometowns, including one hurler who currently is chasing a World Series Championship: Texas Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney. 

The 32-year-old spoke on the matter with WEEI's Rob Bradford prior to Game 3 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"I met with a lot of teams, did a lot of Zoom, FaceTime, type things," Heaney told Bradford while appearing on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. "I met with one of their (Boston's) medical staff guys. It was close. I think at the end of the day -- many of us would be happy to play for (any team in Major League Baseball).

"There's certain things that make it a bit easier. For me, this is pretty much my hometown team. (It's) somewhere I wanted to play, wanted to be at, here in Texas."

To make a long answer short, Heaney was likely offered similar contracts and elected to play close to home -- he's from Oklahoma City, a three-hour drive from Arlington. 

The southpaw posted a 4.15 ERA with a 151-to-60-strikeout-to-walk ratio, .251 batting average against and 1.38 WHIP in 147 1/3 innings this season. 

The Red Sox certainly could have used that production but likely would have had to pay extra to convince Heaney to pick Boston over Texas.

Heaney signed a one-year, $12 million contract that includes a $13 million player option for 2025. It would not have been difficult to top that offer.