Braves' Jansen wanted to stay with Dodgers: 'That was Option A'

Although he joined the Atlanta Braves in the offseason, Kenley Jansen wanted to remain with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"That was Option A," Jansen said, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

The Dodgers' all-time leader in saves sought a three-year contract, but Los Angeles preferred a one- or two-year pact.

Jansen ultimately inked a one-year, $16-million contract with the Braves in March.

"We have a tremendous amount of respect for Kenley the person, Kenley the competitor. … It was a priority for us coming into the offseason to retain him," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.

Once it became clear a reunion wasn't in the cards, though, Jansen focused on the Braves, a team he grew up rooting for in Curacao.

"It was very emotional leaving," Jansen said. "Very emotional. But sometimes when opportunities pop up in your life, you have to take them or you'll always wonder what would've happened. Because those opportunities don't always come back."

After spending the first 12 seasons of his career with the Dodgers, the 34-year-old described the franchise as his "family."

"That's all I knew. That's all I've known my whole life in baseball. I'm so thankful to them for everything they did in my life," Jansen said. "They signed this kid, and this kid became a man. A man, a husband, and a father of four kids."

The Braves and Dodgers open up a three-game series Monday in Los Angeles. They've met in the NLCS in each of the past two seasons.