The San Diego Padres have now joined the race to acquire free-agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval. The Giants, Red Sox, White Sox and Blue Jays were the original four who reportedly had interest prior to the Padres, and we're about to see how legitimate their presence is.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Padres have expanded their search to improve their offense. They've already held two private workouts for Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas, but reports since have indicated the team distancing themselves from the 24-year-old, who is expected to cost $100 million with not much known of his big-league abilities.
Now that Sandoval is in the mix for San Diego, it appears the Padres are willing to offer up a large contract, but they want to ensure the money is well spent. Despite the success of recent players from Cuba (Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes), Tomas is still considered a gamble for that price whereas Sandoval would be almost guaranteed to make an immediate impact. He's been a solid third baseman for years and his ability to perform in high-pressure situations is well known. He would fill a need at third base, which is much harder to come by than an outfielder.
It could be an interesting match since Sandoval has spent his entire career in the state of California and in the NL West division, and he can continue that in San Diego if the Padres reel him in with the years and money he wants.
So with yet another team entering the race for Sandoval, might the Boston Red Sox opt to bow out? It was reported they were "all in" for the third baseman, but a number of writers have made compelling cases as to why Boston should step back and pursue other roster needs. First off, if they're disappointed with the performance of Will Middlebrooks, they can replace him with Brock Holt or Garin Cecchini - who have both showed promise in 2014 - and further develop them. Holt is considered more of a utility player, but the 26-year-old logged 39 of his 106 games at third base. His only issue might be his power numbers, which is understandable, but do the Sox really want to spend excessive money for Sandoval, whose power numbers really aren't off the charts? He's averaged 15 home runs and 66 RBIs per season over his seven-year career.
ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes writes the Red Sox "might have to outbid the Giants by a significant margin to wrest Sandoval away, but there is little doubt they will make a strong bid to sign him. A Giants source said he has 'no clue' if the third baseman will choose to leave San Francisco."
With that being said, Boston Herald writers Michael Silverman and Steve Buckley firmly agree the money should be spent elsewhere, specifically the starting rotation, which consists of Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and Brandon Workman. The fact that the Red Sox are linked to nearly every notable name in free agency has many questioning their motives and overall plan.
"The Red Sox don't need to make a splash . . . unless the splash is named Giancarlo Stanton. Or Jon Lester, who we'll get to in a moment. What they need to do is get good players who are comfortable fits both in the lineup and in Boston," writes Buckley.
"The second half of the 2014 season, when the Red Sox went with a patchwork rotation topped by the poster boy of inconsistency, Clay Buchholz, a rotation that had no Jon Lester, John Lackey nor Jake Peavy, was a mere appetizer for what would await the 2015 team as it stands now," writes Silverman. "Joe Kelly, Buchholz and an array of young starters, some more promising than others, is not the kind of formula that leads to winning a division or squeaking out a wild card spot."
The Red Sox have great depth and seem to be set at nearly every position on the field. Third base remains a bit of a question mark, but it's much more solidified than the nightmare of a starting rotation, which is where many believe Boston should be using their money.
