Carl Crawford never made the impact in Boston that everyone expected.
Crawford, formally introduced Friday as a member of the Dodgers, explained to the media that he is relieved to be moving on from the pressures of Boston.
"There's no secret this was a tough year in Boston. I wouldn't want any player to go through," said Crawford. "To get out of that situation is definitely sort of a relief."
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Crawford also explained why he waived his no-trade clause to move on to the Dodgers in the blockbuster deal along with Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, and Nick Punto.
"If somebody wants to trade you, to get rid of you, it's time to move on," Crawford explained to reporters "Things didn't go as planned in Boston. I'm happy for a new start. I just didn't play well enough there, for whatever reason. It just didn't work. I didn't do my part."
Crawford also expressed regret about not undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier than he did. He felt he had something to prove.
"I tried to push through with the Boston fans," said Crawford "A big deal is made about the money and I wanted to play for them. Maybe I should have taken care of myself. I felt pressure from the outside to play, in that atmosphere. You have surgery and you get looked at like you're being soft or try to take the money. I wanted to prove that wasn't the case and it probably cost me time from next year. It's one of the things I definitely learned from."