SUNDAY: Sandoval’s camp will also meet with the Giants, Blue Jays and White Sox, Cotillo reports.
SATURDAY: The Red Sox will meet with Pablo Sandoval and agent Gustavo Vasquez at the GM meetings in Arizona next week, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish was the first to report the scheduled meeting. The Red Sox reportedly headed into the offseason with Sandoval and Chase Headley as their top priorities. Sandoval rejected a qualifying offer from the Giants last week, and is instead reportedly seeking a nine-figure deal, possibly for six years. Cafardo notes that, along with the Red Sox and Giants, the Blue Jays and White Sox currently seem to be the most interested in Sandoval.
Boston would want to use Sandoval as its third baseman, Cafardo reports, although he notes that, unlike the Giants and other NL teams, the Red Sox could also eventually use Sandoval at DH if his physique prevented him from staying at third. The switch-hitting Sandoval’s ability to hit from the left side would also be a benefit for Boston. With Sandoval in the Majors, the Red Sox could send Will Middlebrooks, who can still be optioned, to Triple-A Pawtucket.
Please don’t sign him Jays. I think Panda will be the biggest regret of the offseason. He is definitely a good player, but I think also the most overrated player in this years FA class.
I don’t think you have to worry about the Jays writing that check.
AA hasn’t signed anyone to a big contract since Vernon Wells (or was that not even AA who signed him???). If it wasn’t him, what was the biggest FA he ever did? All I can think of is Bautista’s extension which was only $70 million give or take. (Though he did of course also take on Reyes’ high salary)
JP Ricciardi was responsible for the Wells contract. AA just unloaded it.
Yeah I had 2nd thoughts on that. Thank you.
Paul Godfrey was responsible for the Wells contract. Ricciardi wanted to trade him.
He also took in an injury-prone Jose Reyes and an over-the-hill knuckleballer.
Really? I disagree. He’s been highly underrated. The only time we hear his name is when the postseason comes. I do think, however, he is not worth $20 million a year.
Slightly above average defence ( and with his size likely to deteriorate) with an ops in the low .700’s is not worth a big commitment in my books. If he was coming off of his 2011 year then sure give him 100 mill. Then again he does play in a pitchers park so there is something to be said for that.
Did Miguel Cabrera deteriorate because of his size? You do realize that Pablo Sandoval not only weighs less than Cabrera, but is also younger and in his prime years.
I do agree that he shouldn’t make 100 million, though I’d pay the guy 16 million over 5 years and possibly even 18 million over 4 or 5 years. There’s no guarantee that he deteriorates, and just assuming that isn’t realistic.
Miguel Cabrera often has an ops .300 points higher than Pablo… And when talking about weight height matters, and if it is fat or muscle. Their body types are not very similar. And miguel Cabrera is not bein paid to play defence, Pablo is. And Brett’s ops was much closer to Pablo’s last year than most would like to admit, but with elite defence.
Slightly above average defense? Are you serious? He was second to Nolen Arenado for the Gold Glove this year. You really need to learn Pro Ball.
For example, if Brett lawrie could stay healthy I would say he is a noticeably superior player.
I disagree until he posts multiple seasons with a better average and on-base percentage.
he is superior at throwing helmets at umpires.
That is exactly why, as a Giants’ supporter, Ajay, I don’t mind losing him…I trust Sabean not to over-pay sandoval.
Big mistake, Boston. This guy is a back surgery waiting to happen, and is tremendously overrated.
As a Giants fan who has watched Sandoval throughout the years, I would not be comfortable if I were any team in giving him more than 100 million.
not a Red Sox fan, but sending middlebrooks back to the minors…to do what? you are signing Panda for 5-6 years, so what do you do with middlebrooks? Can he learn another position, or is he simply being groomed for a trade? is he seen as a legitimate prospect after the last two seasons, or just a replacement level player?
I’m sure Cherington knows Middlebrooks is done. He’s not going to stop the Red Sox from possibly signing Sandoval.
Re-build value, so they can trade him?
I think at this point teams know he can hit minor league pitching. I’m not sure how doing it again will add in value. Until he shows a pulse in the majors, they’re not going to get much of anything.
Trade him for what? Right now, they’d be lucky to get a double-A pitcher for him. By sending him down, they find out once and for all if he can hit consistently and if not (I’m looking at you, Ryan Lavarnway), then they deal him. If he shows improvement, use him as a 3B-1B-DH.
There’s no shot he is back next year. He will get dealt for minimal pieces more than likely. He rejected the idea of winter ball and the Sox have gotten tired of him. Maybe a change in scenery helps him.
Middlebrooks is prepped for a minor league career, plus occasional callups for depth/power vs LHP
I believe next year will be his last option year. If Boston doesn’t find a spot for him, I’m sure someone will take a cheap flier on him.
Poor man’s Mark Reynolds……
Right now he’s seen as a Triple A 3rd baseman..
I understand the Red Sox’s lack of faith in Middlebrooks, but why not put Betts or Holt at third? I mean Holt more understandably so since Betts can play all over. I would think an infield of Napoli, Pedroia, Bogaerts,Holt/Betts, and Vasquez could be pretty dangerous next year. Not to mention their plethora of outfielders have the potential to be really scary. Boston should be looking at pitching, not Panda.
Holt is a utility player, not a starter.
Holt is this year’s Pedro Ciriaco. Everyone saw him play well for a couple months, fell in love, and forgot he’s really just a utility player.
And ignored it when he pretty well stunk after those couple of months.
Ignoring that Holt was hurt a lot of the time (a liability, perhaps, for another discussion) after the break . . . I’d rather Holt than pay Panda close to what he’s asking – from the Bay Area, I’ve watched him for several years; he’s good, but not close to AAV of $20M.
Betts was moved off of SS in the minors because of throwing issues. Putting him in a position further away from first base is probably not a good plan.
It’s a small sample size, but FG gives his Arm in CF a +1 and his RZR is a very good .913. In RF his RZR is .938 and UZR/150 is 10.0 (again, a small sample size though). I guess they just plan on having him as an OFer then?
Yep, outfield is where he’ll be as long as he is a Red Sox. Due to his throwing issues, he can’t play SS or 3rd, and we’ve got the best defensive 2nd basemen in Dustin Pedroia so, the outfield he’ll go. More likely RF with Castillo in CF.
I like having the stronger arm in right and Castillo has the better arm by a good bit. Betts has enough athleticism that range should not be an issue for him. I’d go Betts in Center, Castillo in right field. That’s not a knock on Castillo I just like the better arm in Right field at Fenway given the dimensions and how the park plays.
That could work too, but I’d be interested in knowing how well Castillo is in right compared to center. Some guys have issues with reading the ball in the corners, as it’s more based on perception, meaning it doesn’t be “hit” to you. Basically, you have to track it better, while in center you are more so chasing it down, as you generally can read it off the bat. However, if Castillo doesn’t show any faults in RF, by all means they should put him there, just because of his better arm strength, like you said. But, if it’s gonna affect the range of the OF, I’d rather put Castillo in CF and Betts in RF, just because I believe Betts is more capable at learning and performing at multiple positions.
Agreed a lot of things come in to play. I’m sure the Red Sox will try a few things with the outfield alignment come Spring. They probably will have a better idea after Castillo’s winter ball assignment. I’m just praying the Sox don’t trade Mookie before Spring. I think they would have to be blown away but I’ll be biting my fingers until this roster is more or less put together.
I hope we keep Mookie too, he’s a true lead-off hitter we so desperately need, and Castillo would be the 2nd best option (but I’d still put Mookie before him) in the spot. Also, I’m pretty sure Castillo’s winterball assignment is finished now that he has a thumb injury. Hope it’s not too serious….
He is a true leadoff hitter and to me that’s about as valuable as a true ace. Factor in that he likely won’t even make 2 million over the next three years and it’s hard to see moving him. As for Castillo, last I heard the Sox were hoping to still get him a bunch of at bats in Puerto Rico over the winter.
Ugh, do not want.
Seconded
Thirded
Then don’t meet with him 🙂
I wouldn’t mind him, just not at what he’s asking. I’d rather go after Hanley for that kinda money.
Even at the 4/60 some people think Headley gets, I’d take Headley.
Maybe, just don’t think his offence will add enough value for the Sox
Over the last three years Headley has been a significantly better hitter than Sandoval (123 wRC+ to 115), and they have been exactly the same over the last four years (122 each).
Yes, that’s true, I didn’t even realize that. Looking at it from the 3 year perspective isn’t as fair as the 4 year perspective though, just because Pablo had his great year in 2011, while Headley had it in 2012. So, it’s safe to say they’ve been about even the past 4 years, only Headley’s production dropped off significantly this season, as a whole. It just comes down to wether or not a team believes Headley can rebound, as he was quite average this year offensively, and 15 million can’t warrant that.
As a Yankee fan this article makes me happy. Let Boston take Panda. Leave Headley for the Yankees.
Even if Sandoval went to Boston, Headley isn’t guaranteed to go back to NY. But of the 2, yes I’d rather see the Yankees sign Headley.
It isn’t guaranteed, but it will take the Red Sox out of the market. I feel the same way about Sandoval to Boston. It increases Headley’s chances of re-signing with the Yankees.
EDIT: Well. Then the Giants will need a 3rd baseman, So, maybe not.
Obviously, but it removes one team from the market. And it’s probably the best team to remove being that they have a glaring hole at 3B, are one of the richest teams in the sport, and usually compete to the point where many free agents like to go there. They’re also a division rival and the biggest rival to the Yankees. It’s basically the #1 team a Yankee fan wants to remove from the market for a player.
I do think the Sox would rather have Headley given the option. I wonder if they just feel signing Headley will be impossible to do with the Yankees in the picture. I’m just speculating but I can’t really understand the Panda love.
Even at a more reasonable price and without a pick attached Sandoval should be about 5th on their list, at the money people are talking and giving up a pick, I’m not exactly sure why he’s even on the list.
Also, I actually hope the Yankees sign Headley first. If Sandoval signs first, then Headley may want close to what Sandoval is going to get (per AAV that is).
I kind of prefer Headley to Panda if only because it’d make the Yankee fans sad
The contrary for me (and for Cherington maybe)
Might be sad in the short term but long term I don’t know. Headley and Panda are good players. Panda’s WS resume speaks for itself but neither are superstars. It’s not like hey are bidding for Evan Longoria. If the Yankees don’t get Headley they can use Prado at 3B or sign Jed Lowrie who can play multiple INF positions.
IMO $14 million a year tops for Headley.
Could also put Jed Lowrie at SS but I don’t think he’s a very good defensive SS. Then again, we survived 20 years with Derek and had 20 winning seasons with him there and 17 playoff appearances.
I hope you are right. There seems to be a robust market for Headley. The Dodgers and Giants are some of the teams looking for help at 3B this off season. The Yankees may end up over paying for Headley.
Uribe is the Dodgers 3B
Uribe will be 36 by opening day and a FA at the end of the season. They may look at Headley as a upgrade. Anyway I hope the Dodgers sign Hanley to play 3B.
True but he’s still very good both offensively and defensively, and they still have Justin Turner too who can be backup (or also start too). I’d be surprised to see the Dodgers go after Headley (or Hanley for that matter unless they keep him at SS).
If they Dodgers ‘re-sign Hanley it’s likely he goes back to SS short term until Seagar is ready. I’m sure they would make it clear to him that he could be moved to third at any point. I really don’t see him with the Dodgers though.
How many World Series has Hanley helped the Dodgers win? How many World Series has Sandoval helped the Giants win? This is a no brainer. Don’t sign Hanley….but sign the Panda to play 3rd base, and trade Uribe. And get a SS through a trade or bring up Seagar to play SS.
Also no QO for Headley.
The decrease in BB%, the rise in OOZ swing %, and the drop in OBP is worrisome. Still a very good overall player, but it’s a very big gamble. But hey, all 9 figure contracts are.
Very big gamble indeed.
This may sound lame to say about a 28-year old grownup man, but maybe playing with David Ortiz, who also battled weight issues (and seems to have won that battle), could be a good influence on Sandoval.
Sandoval has shown that he has the willpower to get into shape more than once and, to my eye, he didn’t revert nearly as much as he had in previous years this season.
The willpower to get into shape more than once? That pretty well implies that he doesn’t have the willpower to stay in shape…
I think that’s also a maturity issue, as well as a change in lifestyle. Both are things that have improved over time. I do think it’s harder to maintain once the season begins, though. I think his 2013 season was pretty eye-opening for him.
The Giants claim he was about 20-30 pounds heavier at the end of the season than at the beginning. Weight loss isn’t as hard as weight maintenance.
Edit: I don’t think this is about willpower. It is about lifetime habits. That is not really the same thing.
I’d much rather they tried Betts or Castillo at third than pay for Sandoval.
If Betts is in the infield it should be at SS with Xander at 3B, as that would maximize both of their skill sets. And Castillo apparently looked awful at 3B in workouts.
Most of the conversations about Bogaerts seem to concur that he was not good at 3rd and that is why they moved him back to Short.
He had never played 3B, but his skill set fits much better there, and given time to learn the position he’d be much better there than at SS. And he was moved back because they traded Drew.
Hm. That’s not the narrative I was hearing, but it would be better for Bogaerts if that is what happened. Because, it would damage his upside if it was true that he wasn’t good enough or comfortable enough at 3rd.
Xander’s range is very, very below average. His arm is fine and he gets some decent jumps so he CAN play short, but 3B is a much better fit for those skills.
Fair enough. I hadn’t seen scouting reports on Castillo’s skills at third. I just really don’t want Sandoval. I’d even be ok with dealing for a stopgap or seeing what Cecchini can do there.
Headley, Hanley, Lowrie, trade for someone like Valbuena. I want no part of Sandoval either, but there are plenty of options out there.
Not a bad idea, and trade Cespedes for some pitching, he provides the most value
Does Betts have the arm for 3B/SS? I thought that’s why he originally transitioned from SS to 2B
He moved because he was on the same team as Marrero, and stayed because he started hitting as soon as they moved him. His throwing was supposed to be erratic though, and it’s tough to say if that’s been fixed or not since then (arm strength was never really the question though, and he had no trouble with errant throws from 2B).
I’m pretty sure they moved him because he committed 9 errors in 14 games.
You don’t move a guy off of position because of 14 games, no matter how bad. He moved when Marrero started playing, and Marrero was the much better prospect at the time (1st round pick, given a ton of money comparatively, and had the pedigree Betts didn’t).
There are enough Red Sox low minors teams that they could have found a place for Betts to play shortstop if they though he would succeed there. I doubt they would have given Marrero the priority as there was no guarantee he’d ever be much of a hitter. In addition Betts would have been a much better commodity if he showed an ability to play shortstop. Clearly he wasn’t going to be a starting second baseman for the Red Sox, so why not keep him at shortstop? At the time, if they though the future at ss was Marrero, and they knew Pedroia was the second baseman, it makes no more sense to move Betts to second. That is unless he has shown a clear inability to get the ball to first base from the ss position.
There’s only one team for each level, so they would have had to either have him at a level too high or too low for where they felt his skill level was. And Marrero was actually thought to be a better potential hitter at the time, and is-and-was a much much better defender. Betts wasn’t much of a prospect, so there were no reservations about moving him where ever he fit, and they had no one for 2B at that level.
We’ve talked about this before but Marrero and Betts’ history together at second and AS went down exactly like you said. Marrero pushed Betts off the position. I saw almost every one of Mookie’ s home games in his short time at Portland. Watching him turn a couple hard double plays had me wondering if he could be a SS. I’m not sure we will ever know now given that the Sox fast tracked his bat (for good reason). Fun fact: Omar Vizquel made 21errors in his first 55 professional games at SS. He was a similar age to Mookie and the same height, 5’9″. I’m not saying Betts would be the next Vizquel. I just will always wonder if he got moved off the position too fast.
what happened to Marrero? and what are Cecchini’s chances of becoming a viable major leaguer? The Red Sox have so many “good” prospects but the pitchers that got a taste of big leagues last year didn’t fare well.
Marrero didn’t live up to the hype offensively at first (he was also pushed really aggressively because of his defense), but he’s actually been hitting again of late, and many evaluators think he has a career as a starting SS on a contending team.
Who’s contract is gonna end up being worse ? Hanley’s or Sandovals
Is that supposed to say Headley or Hanley?
I’m assuming that you mean Hanley, and I think that all depends on what position he plays but nonetheless I think his contract will be worse. He’s older and is more of a defensive liability
Injury prone and known to be a head case
lol can’t believe I left out 2 obvious ones there. Thank you.
Panda is overrated so I vote him
Boston should chase Headley instead.
Bravo.
Thanks. Too subtle for most to notice, I suppose.
oi, puns.
Don’t see Pablo getting 6 years or nine figures!
He’s 28, he can easily get 6 years And 9 figures for that matter. Don’t be shocked to see something like 6 year/$110 million
I just hope this means Headley stays put.
Yes but I also hope Headley signs first. If he sees Sandoval getting $100+ Million, he may very well ask for $75+ million.
Me too, him liking New York and moving there with his family gives me some hope.
Wow, had no idea he moved there too. I don’t know how much they should offer him honestly. I’d say $50-$55 million tops, he’ll get probably half of what Sandoval will get and he is just as good.
There was a special on YES network about all the new guys moving to New York and Headley said he like it a LOT more than he thought he would. I was hoping that meant he would come back. We’ll see.
Yeah, there was this video of it on the Yankees website. Probably around 50 million like you said, 4 years
Far better id say, backed up by many a metric.
I wouldn’t say Far better. It’s fairly close, but Headley’s value is higher.
Sandoval’s plate approach doesn’t fit at all with Boston’s philosophy (neither does Cespedes’s, as a side-note). And that body can’t possibly hold up regular third base duties through the duration of a six-year deal. Maybe he could transition to first/DH at some point, but… =
By the time Ortiz retires they’ll move him to DH perm
He would be a pretty awful DH
Better than letting the pitcher hit
How do you figure that?
The average DH this year hit .246/.317/.416, wRC+ of 106. ISO was very high though at .171
His offense has been on a consistent decline for four straight years now, and he hasn’t put up a truly impactful offensive season since 2011. If you want a guy to play DH and hit in the 115 wRC+ range, there are a ton of much cheaper options.
Yeah I pointed that out earlier about his decline in offense. He’s a switch hitter but he does poorly against RHP (which is when he obviosly bats Left Handed), and Fenway isn’t a ballpark for LHH
Yeah, I’m not sure his offense would improve moving to Fenway even though it’s a better hitter’s park. Fenway is actually fairly tough on lefties, and the only thing it’s really better at is doubles for lefties.
As Reaper pointed out below, I had the splits mixed up. My mistake.
Still, most of his at bats come as a lefty, and Fenway is pretty tough on lefties.
You have his splits reversed, Pablo overall in his career (and especially in 2014) was much better batting lefty then righty. Here’s his career splits:
.304/.357/.493/.850 vs RHP
.271/.318/.392/.710 vs LHP
When he’s (reasonably) in shape and focused he can drive the ball all over the field, pretty much hitting any pitch anywhere with authority. But as soon as he puts on some weight, or gets a little banged up it all goes away
You are right, I do. I apologize.
Eh, it happens. As a Giants fan, I want nothing to do with him on a 6-year deal. The value in the immediate future is there, but his production has been so tied to his weight, the chance of him falling off big time is very real even halfway through a deal like that. In theory he could make a solid DH down the road, but if he doesn’t have defense to worry about he may just get even bigger. 2010 and 2013 especially his weight noticeably crept up, and he regressed across the board. As much as I’ve loved watching him, someone is going to probably make a massive mistake signing him
That’s career. For 2014 it was:
Right handed
.199 / .319 / .563
Left handed:
.317 / .461 / .824
I know he was a disaster mostly batting right-handed this year, but I’m thinking (hoping if the Giants re-sign him) that it was a fluke year. His OPS dropping 147 points below his career average is a red flag, but I have to think it bounces back to at least within the ballpark of his career line. We’ll see
I mean, hitting is a thing he does in an above-average manner so at least he has that going for him, for now.
Can’t argue with that. I don’t mind trying out Sandoval who’s entering his “prime” at 28 but he is riddled with question marks. He gives away at bats. He’s got a good glove, but his body type could make him be a DH. And with his decling OPS, he might be a below average DH.
Red Sox have the money but the smart money is on Chase Headley IMO.
Are we getting NY Headley or SD Headley?
Sandoval already seems to be in decline, which isn’t incredibly surprising given his body type.
How about this, the Yanks keep Headley and you the Sox can get HanRam
I’m interested in the part where it says the White Sox are among the most interested. Sign him to play third and Rasmus to play right (Avi to left) and you have:
Eaton CF
Ramirez SS
Abreu 1B
Sandoval 3B
Garcia LF
Gillaspie DH/1B/3B
Rasmus RF
Flowers C
whoever wins 2B job
I’d rather the White Sox sign Melky to play left and keep Avi where he is used to playing. Trade Alexei for top prospect(s)/bullpen piece and sign Masterson or Hammel.
Can’t really see them being competitive in your scenario. No shortstop (Sanchez and Semien are about average 2B and were kinda eh defensively last season) and in your scenario is Tank DHing? I just feel like if you’re going to spend the money to get Melky you’d be better off keeping Alexei at least until July.
I think Viciedo will be traded along with Alexei. Sign VMart to play DH. Semien would be fine at SS for a year. As far as your “lineup” goes, there is no chance they will have Gillaspie be the starting DH next year.
What makes you say that? Pablo is better on D and Gillaspie could still get lots of at bats playing third and first letting Pablo and Abreu DH here and there. If the Sox are among the “most interested” in Pablo, then this would be the likely scenario for Gillaspie if he were to sign with the Sox.
If I were Hahn I see V-mart as a much better asset overall, especially since their main concern is to find a left handed bat to protect Abreu. Gillaspie isn’t a bad fielder, and keeping him there while addressing the big hole at DH would be better served. Besides this, Pablo is rumored to be looking for a 6-year deal, while V-mart could be had for probably 4 years. The stat sheet don’t lie, and many NL players also have trouble moving to the AL, whereas V-mart already has mastered AL pitching.
Sandoval: .279/.324/.415 16 HR’s 73 RBI
V-mart: .335/.409/.565 32 HR’s 103 RBI
Also just want to point out Pablo’s fielding vs. Gillaspie’s in 2014:
Sandoval: .971 Fielding % , 11 Errors
Gillaspie: .961/ 12 errors
Based on this, signing Sandoval for better defense isn’t really a valid argument. Even hitting wise, if you look at the stats. In fact, in 2014 Gillaspie actually had a higher BA, OBP, and Slugging % than Sandoval. Case and point, the White Sox should focus on DH and left fielder, where the free agents available are a big overall improvement over the production the White Sox received at those positions in 2014.
Pablo Sandoval will never wear a White Sox uniform
For $110 million, boy zee I really hope you’re right.
Why do say that? Is Pablo Sandoval too good to play for the White Sox?
The White Sox will only sign one big hitter. Pitching is a bigger concern. Last year they had the 4th worst ERA in the mlb.
Chase Headley fits the Red Sox philosophy and needs to a T: high walk rate, switch hitter, good glove. Headley could also bring some pop with his bat but if not, no worries. With Sandoval, the bar is high. If he doesn’t bring that power they are looking for then the deal is a bust, especially if he has to be moved from 3B which would create new problems.
If I were Cherrington, I would sign Chase Headley.
For how much?
Hanley Rameriz with Middlebrooks as backup wouldn’t be bad (at the right price of course).
Headley is the better player as measured by fWAR in 2012 AND 2013 AND 2014.
Those that think that Sandoval is worth it because of the playoffs… why not get Nelson Cruz or Delmon Young then? Both have excellent playoff stats.
Nelson cruz and delmon young aren’t third basemen
Headley’s BA, OBP, and SLG have a declined each season since 2012. His OPS barely hit .700 in 2014. Yes he plays great defense, but he’s already declining offensively and is more than two years older than Sandavol. If you’re looking for an impact player, you need to look at Sandavol. If you’re looking for a cheaper complimentary player, Headley is the better option.
So does Brian Doyle.
Maybe Headley is better on paper, but come Octobertime Pablo gets it done
Sandoval way over priced. The Sox have two LH hitting 3 B’s Holt and Cecchini.
Nava is a SH can’t hit RH—just like Sandoval. He’s a nice player—If the option is Headley or Panda–Headley gets my vote.
Cafardo wants the Sox to sign him, so he keeps finding reasons that it “makes sense”. He definitely could be moved to DH, but could we please stop calling him a left-handed hitter? He’s a switchhitter with very below average stats from the right side.
Sox will overpay him and ship him within 2-3 years, eating a good portion of th contract.
Broken record.
The team that has the biggest buffet / most jelly filled doughnuts will sign the almighty Panda
I’d find it extremely amusing if Headley got more than Sandoval just because of the hype every fan-base is giving him right now.
All these reports of the Jays being in on the big name position players is puzzling. By all accounts the Jays have very limited financial flexibility and a lot of holes to fill, so splurging on a player like Russ Martin or Panda doesn’t make sense. The only way they could make moves like these are if Rogers is opening up the pocketbook again (which I doubt), or they believe they can move a high-salary guy like Mark Buerhle or R.A. Dickey
Lol, this happened last year too. The Jays are always in on everyone.
Hope the White Sox don’t sign him either… Maybe 2 good years before Gravity takes over,,, Headley is a better fit and probably cheaper in years…
Do you think the Whitesox should go after Hanley Rameriz to split time between SS and 3B?
No. Hanley is good but spends too much time on DL… Really depends on his price but I wouldn’t give him more than 3 years even if the price was right. I’m guessing he is looking for 20 mil per and that’s too high.. Rather give the money to Shields…
He could also DH
Pablo Sandoval is a superstar……overweight and love to eat……..but still a superstar. Don’t believe the Giants front office when they are telling people that they would not pay more than $100 million for the Panda. Sandoval is worth $160 million for a 6 or 7 year contract. He is young, won 3 World Series all by himself, and can play 3rd base like no other player. I have watched Sandoval since 2010, and everything he does amazes me. If the Giants had not have had Sandoval in 2012 and 2014, there is no doubt that they would not have won the World Series…..and is the primary reason why the Giants will not re-sign any of their other free agents, such as Volgey, Morse, Peavy, and Romo until the Pablo situation is fix. The Giants cannot win without the Panda….and is a reason why the Giants did not make the playoffs in 2011 and 2013….because the Panda was on the DL for half of the season. I hope Boston or the Blue Jays pay Sandoval a lot of money because he deserve it. I do believe that there will be a dark horse team who will sign Sandoval…..not the Giants, White Sox, Red Sox, or Blue Jays…….but possibly the Dodgers or the Angels…..or maybe even Texas. Time will tell if the Giants will be healthy at 3rd base in 2015, or be limping into the season without their Panda.
Pablo Sandoval will remain in San Francisco where his heart is and where he belongs.
You would like to hope so, but I think he is in it for the money… He has the rings
Yes, but you think like a Dodger and I think like a Giant and the current Dodgers can’t see that it takes more than money to be a champion. and Pablo is a champion. The Giants aren’t cheap and their players mostly like to stay there.
So the 3rd highest payroll in MLB is filled with purely players that like to stay there? If Pablo stays, SF will over pay just like: Huff, Affeldt, Scutero, Sanchez, Lincecum and Pagan. I understand SF has championships, but they are not playing moneyball, and these players are not accepting home discounts. There are two ways this goes down: A) Pablo signs elsewhere and gets the money he wants or B) The Giants sign him and he gets the money he wants… Just like the other SF players.
And by the way Ajay you need pitching not hitting so much. You need a Pence. A leader in the clubhouse that everyone flocks to like the Giants have. Bautista isn’t that guy nor is Encarnacion. Who are your starters besides Buerhle and Dickey. Nobody.
I’d like to have Pandoval back. It makes sense. The question is are the Giants willing to pay $100 million for this guy. I don’t think they will…especially not for 6 years. Players these days get too relaxed with big contracts especially after they get into their 30’s.