Red Sox reportedly ‘all-in’ on free agent Pablo Sandoval
Do pandas dig Boston? We may soon find out.
The Boston Red Sox are reportedly “all-in” on free agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval, the San Francisco Giants fan favorite who is nicknamed Kung-Fu Panda. Sandoval watched his stock rise throughout another successful postseason with the Giants, to the point where he’s more in-demand now than he would have been at the end of September.
In 2014, Sandoval hit 16 homers and drove in 73 runs, with a .279/.324/.415 slash, not exactly earth-shattering numbers and a bit below his 162-game career average: 20 homers, 86 RBIs, 294./346/.465.
But he hit .366 in the postseason with an OPS of .888, plus he made a number of stellar defensive plays at third. It was enough to make the Red Sox think Sandoval’s the guy to fill their hole at third base.
Writes ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes:
An executive with another major league club said Tuesday that the Red Sox are “all-in” on the free-agent third baseman and are making a big push to sign him.
Sandoval is seen as an ideal fit for the Red Sox because he meets their need for a left-handed bat (he’s a switch-hitter), he plays third base (a black hole for Boston in 2014), and he could ultimately succeed David Ortiz as the team’s designated hitter. …
Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said Tuesday he met the day before with Gustavo Vazquez, Sandoval’s agent, and that the sides had a “constructive” conversation.
Imagine Sandoval with David Ortiz and Yoenis Cespedes in Boston. They’d be a fun team to watch — and a daunting lineup to pitch against. Ortiz is said to have pitched Sandoval on coming to Boston during the World Series (Ortiz was an analyst for Fox). The Red Sox are also pushing Sandoval to visit Boston, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, hoping that Fenway Park’s powers of seduction work on Sandoval.
Despite the Red Sox’s push for Sandoval, the Giants are still seen by some as the favorite to retain his services. He said after the World Series parade he’d like to stay in San Francisco for the rest of his career, but seemed intent on exploring the free-agent market too. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal said it’s down to the Red Sox and Giants at this point, unless a new team joins the pursuit.
The question here is whether the Red Sox drive Sandoval’s price up past what the Giants are willing to pay. Sandoval is seeking a six-year deal that could reach $100 million. He turned down a three-year offer from the Giants worth about $40 million in the spring. At the time, it was reported that Sandoval wanted a contract like the Giants have Hunter Pence — five years and $90 million.
With the Red Sox in the hunt and the Giants trying to keep up, he’s likely to get that. And possibly more.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
