How close was Eduardo Nunez to reunion with Yankees?

by Felix Pantaleón

The Yankees reached out to Red Sox infielder Eduardo Nunez about a potential return to New York as a free agent over the winter.

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NEW YORK — The Yankees expressed interest in a reunion with infielder Eduardo Nunez over the winter.

Nunez, who was a free agent, heard from his former team, but a potential return to the Bronx never got beyond that point.

“My agent called me, they had interest in bringing me back to New York,” Nunez told NJ Advance Media. “But that wasn’t in my plan.”

Nunez re-signed with the Boston Red Sox on Feb. 16, inking a one-year deal worth $6 million. Nunez originally went to Boston in a deal just before the 2017 trade deadline. The San Francisco Giants sent him east in exchange for minor-league pitchers Shaun Anderson and Gregory Santos.

The Yankees eventually signed Neil Walker to bolster their infield depth.

Nunez broke into MLB with the Yankees, playing 270 games over the course of four seasons from 2010 through 2013. He played three seasons with the Minnesota Twins before joining the Giants in 2016.

While a Yankees reunion was never truly in the cards, Nunez said he still loves coming back to New York.

“A lot of family here. A lot of friends.,” he said. “My brother lives here, and it’s a great city.”

Nunez started all three games of this week’s series against the Yankees, and he scored both Boston runs in a 3-2 Yankees win on Tuesday.

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Over the course of his career, Nunez has seen both sides of the Boston-New York rivalry. With the teams currently sporting the best two records in baseball, he expected an intense series, even though it’s still May.

“We knew they were going to be like that,” he said. “We expected every game was going to be close, with the talent both teams have. We’re very similar teams. We both have great teams. We both have competitive players, and it’s really fun. I’ve been on both sides and I appreciate that.”

Chris Ryan may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.