The Giants suffered their first, and biggest, loss of 2014
free agency today. Pablo Sandoval announced (via Instagram) that he had signed
a deal with the Red Sox today. The details haven’t been made fully public yet,
but what we know is that it’s (a) 5 years, and (b) around $100 million.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sad to see Pablo go. His wink in
2014 before his clutch hit vs. the Royals, his three HR game in 2012 (which
helped his MVP bid), the ever-present panda hats in the stands—there are a lot
of good memories associated with Pablo. He embodied the weird relationship
between the Giants and their fans. Players came and went, fell in and out of
roles, but Pablo, Bumgarner and Posey were the constants. There were players
that were the faces of the franchise and were consistently so over the last
five years. Now one of the faces is gone.
You know what? That’s okay. I am okay with this. MLB has an
uncapped salary structure and it isn’t my money, so I would have loved to see
the Giants open their pocketbooks to resign Sandoval. They didn’t though, and
every Giants fan sort of let loose a sigh of relief. While Panda has had his
big moments in the limelight, he has also had a ton of other problems. Namely:
the ton of weight he has gained and lost, and gained and lost… and gained. His weight,
and production, has fluctuated wildly in his time with San Francisco.
There’s no doubting Sandoval’s skill, but his discipline may
have Boston regretting this signing in 2017. Sandoval seems to have a serious
issue with focus, which anyone can see by the junk he’ll swing at in his
average at bat. He relies on his otherworldly hand-eye coordination—which leads
to him hitting junk at his ankles or neck, as well as his impressive Fat Man
Defense ™. That’s fine when you’re in your twenties, but his skills could
deteriorate rapidly.
The Red Sox signed up for the post-season magic of Pablo
Sandoval, but discipline issues may have them experiencing buyer’s remorse in a
few seasons.
