Matt Barnes wanted to stay with the Red Sox, and the feeling clearly was mutual.
The All-Star closer signed a two-year contract extension with Boston on Sunday. The deal includes a club option for the 2024 campaign.
While speaking with reporters before Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Barnes, who was set to become a free agent next offseason, talked about his desire to remain with the team that drafted him 19th overall in 2011.
"This is a first-class organization that treats us like family and provides a winning opportunity every year," he said, via The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. "... This is a dream come true for me. ... I don't know if there are words for how fortunate I am. ... Everything they do from top to bottom is how you expect it and how it should be."
Barnes added: "I just wanted a fair contract for what I was doing. ... This is just a place I wanted to stay. ... There really wasn't a place I wanted to play that wasn't Boston. ... The grass isn't always greener on the other side."
Boston chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom expressed a priority for keeping a player who has proven a great fit for life in a Red Sox uniform.
"It's a great day for the Red Sox," Bloom said, via Speier. " ... Matt has established himself as one of the better relievers in baseball. ... Beyond that, he's exactly the type of person you want representing the organization."
Barnes, 31, is in the midst of his best season as a big leaguer.
Entering play Sunday, the UConn product was 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA and 19 saves in 37 appearances. He recently was named to the American League All-Star roster for the first time in his career.
