A mere 18 months after signing a lucrative free
agent contract with the Boston Red Sox, third baseman Pablo
Sandoval has for all intents and purposes become a pariah with his new
team. Having lost his starting job at the end of the recently concluded spring
training, his future with the team is unknown, and at the same time feels
untenable. With four seasons remaining on his deal, it’s incumbent upon the Red
Sox to find a solution, but what can be done?
A career .290 hitter with three World Series titles to his
credit in eight years with the San Francisco Giants, Sandoval arrived in Boston
with big expectations. His introduction was a major letdown all the way around,
as he hit just .245 with 10 home runs last year and was widely criticized for his
perceived weight and conditioning problems. There had been hopes for a fresh
start this year but frankly that was never going to happen unless he showed up
to camp looking like a Gap model and hit home runs at a prodigious pace. To the
contrary, the media has jumped at every chance to point at his girth and how
that has contributed to his failings. There has been the gratuitous spring
training belly photo,
and most recently, the video
of his belt breaking after an aggressive swing in a game against the Toronto
Blue Jays.
I’m no health professional but as someone familiar with
having a few extra pounds I’m comfortable saying Sandoval does not seem to have
the body type where it could reasonably be expected that he is going to ever
going to play at 185 pounds. We don’t have access to his actual weight but he
doesn’t appear to be appreciably larger than when he was with the Giants
(although one former trainer recently claimed
the third baseman has a problem with food). The Red Sox knew what they were
getting into (which included past
weight issues with the Giants) when they signed him, so for anyone to hold
that against him now or to “fat shame” him is pretty disingenuous.
During his career, when he’s produced, he’s been affectionately
known as “Kung Fu Panda,” with fans delighting in his production despite his
lack of a traditional professional athlete’s body. On the other hand, when he’s
not doing well, he’s portrayed as a slob who is never far from another
unflattering photo op or pratfall. Interestingly, he has a reputation as a hard
worker on the field and as a good teammate, so his sins could actually be much
greater.
Still just 29, redemption may be available down the road for
Sandoval. It’s just hard to imagine there’s any way that could happen in
Boston. Youngster Travis Shaw
has taken his starting job and produced enough that removing him from the
lineup would only create another strike against the veteran. For now, the
recent addition of Sandoval to the disabled list has bought both parties some
time. However, there are already conflicting reports that that transaction was
either because of an actual
medical issue or the start of his official
exit out of town. This has become a “Carl
Crawford Conundrum;” a term any Red Sox fan will recognize. It’s likely a
waste of his time and a waste of the team’s time to prolong his stay much
longer.
Including this season, Sandoval is due approximately $78
million on the remainder of his contract. To say it’s going to be difficult to
move him would be an understatement. In all likelihood, the Red Sox would need
to pair up with a team that has their own onerous contract and would be willing
to do a swap. Given the amount of money involved, it’s a near certainty that
Boston will need to sweeten the pot with a (good) prospect or two. The scenario
that has gotten the most play in the internet
rumor mill is sending the third baseman to the San Diego Padres in exchange
for pitcher James
Shields.
The right-handed Shields has been an above average pitcher
for the better part of the last decade but is now 34 and has thrown at least
200 innings for nine consecutive years. The $63 million he is owed over the
next three years (with a $2 million team buyout option in 2019) is no small
afterthought. The disparity in money between him and Sandoval would also necessitate
Boston including young talent in the deal, as the money does not match up.
Trading Sandoval for a pitcher like Shields may solve one
issue but it could create even more. Bringing in the veteran hurler, who is no
lock for prolonged above-average performance (which is desperately needed for a
team still trying to get its starting pitching on track) for the remainder of
his deal, would not only likely dip into the team’s strong farm system but
would also tie up a rotation spot that could go to some of the promising
youngsters currently on the farm. Talented prospects like Henry Owens
and Brian
Johnson, who have already had a hard time cracking Boston’s veteran-heavy
staff, might find that their top value to the team is shifted from the mound to
trade chips.
In theory, standing pat and doing nothing is another option
but in that scenario, the team would have to be prepared to reap what it sows.
To date, Sandoval has been a good soldier, saying and doing all the right
things. However, the way he is being portrayed as a galoot in the media,
combined with him seeing his stock fall by the day, means that may not last
long—and understandably so.
There are no do-overs in baseball, especially when it comes
to contracts. Pablo Sandoval has not worked out the way the Red Sox envisioned
when they inked him to such a large contract, creating a situation where it will
likely be in the best interests of both parties for a change of scenery. There
may be opportunities for that to happen but the team and its fans best steel
themselves for the fact that there will be no perfect solutions.
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The Red Sox could've easily seen this coming. The panda's #s in the regular season with the Giants got progressively worse every year from 2011-14. And while his weight doesn't necessarily affect his hitting, it does affect his fielding. And what would make anyone think that someone who struggled to stay in shape, would work at it once he had the security of a 5 year guaranteed deal?
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