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Jansen: Before my wedding, 'I thought I was going to Washington'

Jon Durr / USA TODAY Sports

Even Kenley Jansen thought he was going to leave the West Coast.

Before re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was clear the Washington Nationals were going in heavy on the right-hander.

But some time before, during, or after his wedding, something prompted him to stay in L.A. to the tune of a five-year, $80-million deal. It was later reported that he turned down more money from the Nationals to do so.

"A few days before my wedding, it seemed like I was going to Washington," Jansen said at a press conference Wednesday, according to the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett.

Ever since he cracked the majors with the Dodgers in 2010, he's been nothing short of spectacular. Jansen has a 2.20 career ERA, and in 68 2/3 innings in 2016, he had a career-best 1.83 mark.

His legend grew in the 2016 postseason. After struggling in the the National League Division Series, he pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the eventual World Series champion Chicago Cubs.

It was then that it became clear, the Dodgers needed to retain him, and his agent says the decision proved to be an easy one after he tied the knot.

"At his wedding on Saturday, I think something pivoted for him," his agent, Adam Katz, said during an MLB Network Radio interview on Dec. 16. "I think it was being with his teammates and his family. He got a jolt of how important family and continuity was and he called me over the weekend and said he was having difficulty processing leaving the Dodgers and instructed me to work hard to get it done."

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