Pending a physical, Pablo Sandoval will officially join the Boston Red Sox on a five-year contract worth around $100 million. The 28-year-old was said to have chosen the Red Sox over the Giants because he felt 'disrespected' by San Francisco.
This comes as no surprise. For one, the Giants attempted to sign Sandoval to a three-year, $40 million extension before the 2014 season. Sandoval's agent countered with a five-year, $90 million contract, but Giants' general manager Brian Sabean was having none of that. The third baseman perhaps thought things would change when he helped the team win their third World Series championship in the last five years.
But nothing changed. Shortly after Sandoval hit the free agent market, he and his agent made it known they were seeking a six-year contract. He even said he was willing to sacrifice money if he could obtain the years he wanted. The Giants still did not grant Sandoval's request and instead offered him a five-year contract (although every detail of the deal was not disclosed).
It was said the San Diego Padres made the largest offer to Sandoval and the other two from the Red Sox and Giants were said to be nearly identical in years and dollars. Many did not expect Sandoval to sign with San Diego and it was known Boston had offered him five years and $95 million. This meant the Giants had enough time to counter with a stronger offer or at least figure out another way to jump ahead of the competition and retain their coveted free agent.
However, at that point it seemed as if the damage done was irreversible or the Giants simply did not want to bring back Sandoval under such conditions.
Mike Lynch of WCBV-TV in Boston tweeted "Sandoval had the same offer from Giants [as the Red Sox] but left because he felt 'disrespected.'" Granted, we have no idea what's going on during the negotiations, but based on the reports detailing the contracts, what Sandoval was requesting and who was in the lead for his services, it's pretty obvious why he feels disrespected.
Reports surfaced about the Red Sox going "all in" to land Sandoval. Barely anything came from the Giants' side about their desire to retain him. San Francisco allowed an inferior division rival to make a higher offer than them and then decided to not increase theirs. The Giants have $127 million committed to the 2015 payroll, so it's clear they could have squeezed in another year or some more dollars, which likely made Sandoval feel he wasn't wanted.
Now that speculation is rising about the Giants' potential bid on Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas as well as their potential pursuit of free-agent pitcher Jon Lester, the evidence further points to the team believing Sandoval is not worth the money or years he and others think he is.
We'll probably never know what the Giants' thought process was, but it's hard to deny Sandoval's value when the switch-hitter slashed .344/.389/.545 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 39 career postseason games. One World Series MVP and three rings later, Sandoval is heading to the East Coast to join the American League.
He will be introduced at a press conference on Tuesday.
