Steaks, nice cars, and lazily enjoying the swift summer breezes has been a part of Pablo Sandoval's game since entering Fenway Park on Tuesday November 25th, 2014. Introduced with fellow Dominican teammate, Hanley Ramirez, Sandoval was all smiles and eager to start his Red Sox car on the heels of a third San Fransisco Giants World Series in the span of five years. Heralded as a postseason hero who's bat rose to the occasion, and was a fearsome leader in the clubhouse, Sandoval was expected to lead a storied Boston Red Sox franchise to another World Series title of its own. The champagne would come crashing down, Sweet Caroline would blast from the Fenway rafters, and Red Sox players would swarm the mound, commanding the 2015 World Series as their very own. But, this never came to fruition. Ah, next year... maybe? Boston has not won a World Series title since before Sandoval's Red Sox days, back in 2013. Well, if Sandoval is meagerly a league average bat during the regular season, with unfavorable defensive ratings, what good does he present the Red Sox and their fans with? Thus far, Sandoval has acted every bit like a panda, and some would argue he is the legitimate definition of a lethargic sloth.
His 5-year, $95 million contract looked like a bargain at the time, as he had previously slashed .279/.324/.415 with 16 HR's and 73 RBI's during the 2014 season. While those are certainly not eye-popping numbers, taking into consideration the rising demand to watch baseball, and the heat on teams to put out a team to perform, Sandoval's contract was merited, and was inline with what the future holds for increasingly skyrocketing paydays. He hit .429 in 28 at-bats for the Giants in the 2014 World Series, and held his own during the Championship Series, hitting an even .400 in 20 at-bats. Sandoval is no slouch when it comes to the spotlight in the primetime, but his assurance to perform for 162 games during the regular season is the furthest thing from a guarantee.
Sandoval has mustered together a cumulative .237/.286/.360/.646 line during his three seasons in Boston thus far, good for a 71 OPS+, or 29% below league average. His glove has steadily deteriorated over the years, as he has cost the Red Sox a total of -18 Defensive Runs Saved during his stay in Bean Town.
Consensus: the bat rates as a negative, the glove rates as a negative, and the base running certainly rates as a blackhole. What is all of this worth? According to former Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington: $19 million a season. If anything, looking at Sandoval's putrid statistics, and the runs he has cost the Red Sox, he ought be paying them to just step foot onto the field.
A fan friendly favorite in San Fransisco, how can it be possible that Sandoval is a years removed from hitting a combined .294/.346/.465/.811, 123 OPS+ across seven stellar seasons? Is it the weight, is it the age, is it the Boston media and market, or is it just the sport itself? That is a very complex question that few besides Sandoval himself can answer, but the simplest answer seems to be the Sandoval has lost a step at third, has lengthened his swing, and is carrying a piano in his back pocket when barreling around the bases. A prime asset in his hey-day when he could hit .300 in his sleep, Sandoval now just hopes to scrap .250 and put up 0 +/- defense at the hot corner. That is a lot to ask for though, as many minor leaguers hope to just get the chance to get a cup of coffee with the big league team, let alone ask for a lengthy career in the majors.
Sandoval had been blessed with the ability to square up balls into the gaps, and play some gifted defense at third base, but a man of his size (5'11", 255 lbs) is better suited for wrestling in the diamond, rather than playing a lean man's sport.
Most recently, Sandoval was placed on the 10-day disabled list with an inner-ear infection, and required even further seasoning at Boston's triple-A farm club, Pawtucket. His rehab assignment nears its completion on Monday, July 17th, at which point President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, will be tasked with either assigning Sandoval back onto the 25-man roster, or designating him for assignment, releasing his name from the 40-man roster, and exposing him to release waivers. Now, of course, no one will take his contract, but once he passes waivers, and either accepts of refuses his assignment, the Sox can 1.) release him or 2.) trade him to another team. The resulting team will presumably be on the hook for nothing but the league minimum, and Boston will stand to get nothing in the way of impact prospects as they clear themselves of Sandoval altogether.
The difficulty is projecting what exactly will occur by Monday. Will Boston cut ties and let Sandoval loose, or will the stand the test of time and give Sandoval yet another chance to make good of his spoiled opportunity in Boston thus far.
Chances are probably that Boston settles for a combination of defensive wizards Deven Marrero/Tzu-Wei Lin at the hot corner, while also exploring the possibility of a Martin Prado/Todd Frazier trade in the upcoming weeks, or the ultimate promotion of organization minor league star Rafael Devers to the big league roster.
Verdict: Boston DFA's Sandoval and looks to acquire third base help at the trade deadline. Marrero and Lin will do the job just fine temporarily, but are obviously not long term solutions at one of the most offensively important positions on the diamond. Unfortunately for Sandoval, the wheels never got going in Boston, but on the bright side for him, he did collect a pretty decent pay check. The media, fans, and personnel may detest Sandoval for his nutritional and work habits, but when the day of judgement comes, Sandoval just couldn't live up to the billing of his postseason stats, contract, or time in Boston.
