FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Prior to last September Eduardo Nunez thought he was setting himself up perfectly for a free agent payday. Between his stints with the Giants and Red Sox, he was riding a career year at the age of 30 years old. It all seemed to be lining up.
But then came his September knee injury, which was followed by a misguided attempt to return in time for the American League Division Series. And, unfortunately for Nunez, that was just the start of what would be three months of anxiety.
"I wasn't sure about my knee," Nunez told WEEI.com when talking about his initial thoughts once last season was over. "I was concerned. I was not feeling good, so I had to follow my process with my knee. It was a really long process. I didn't know if the Red Sox [could] believe again in my knee. And I wasn't confident that I would be healthy. I was more worried (than he let on)."
By the time the new year rolled around, Nunez's concern hadn't gone anywhere.
"They wanted me to workout in December but I said no. Multiple teams. It was too soon," he said. "I told everyone it had to be close to February. But they wanted me to do the first week of December during the Winter Meetings. I said, 'No chance. No way' They said when I was healthy to let them know. So we didn't talk to anyone for 1 1/2 months.
"Most teams said the same thing. They worried about my knee. And I would be thinking the same thing. How it looked wasn't good. Just before the playoffs I said I was fine and I got it wrong. Now people might not believe what I say."
The whole process was somewhat of a mystery to Nunez, who only knew that surgery wasn't needed. But with the injury not feeling much better a few months into the offseason, along with the uncertainty of the free agent market, things were not feeling quite right.
Then came that day in late January where Nunez finally started feeling like himself.
"I sat back with a cappuccino and said 'Expletive yeah!'," the infielder remembered regarding that moment.
The news put Nunez back on teams' radar, although the infielder only had one team on his -- the Red Sox.
The Sox were the only team he agreed to work out for, which ultimately paved the way for Nunez's one-year deal with a vesting option for a second. And while his role hasn't been absolutely defined yet, just starting to serve as a designated hitter next week, he seems fairly happy how everything ultimately shook out.
"It feels weird because I haven't played yet, but I'm excited," Nunez said. "I'm confident. I know what I can do. I know we have a great team. I feel comfortable I can play anywhere."
