San Francisco Giants Won’t Pursue Bidding War for Pablo Sandoval
By John Shea
@real_johnshea
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
According to multiple sources, three teams are vying for Pablo Sandoval in free agency. Of those three teams, the San Francisco Giants are the only club who have not prepared an offer sheet. The Boston Red Sox have seemingly emerged as the favorite to land the “Kung Fu Panda.” The San Diego Padres are also reportedly in strong pursuit.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has reported the Red Sox have offered Sandoval a five-year, $95-million contract. At the start of free agency, Sandoval’s agent, Gustavo Vasquez, said his client was in pursuit of a six-year deal. The length of the contract, as opposed to the dollars attached to it, have made the Giants weary of re-signing the hefty third baseman.
In spring training, the Giants offered Sandoval a three-year, $40-million extension, which he promptly denied. The added competition to the Giants’ so-called priority to retain their third baseman now has the potential to drive up the price point beyond what San Francisco would ideally like to pay. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Padres are set to make an offer in the $90-95 million range.
Strangely, the Giants have yet to make a formal offer, although it’s possible the club’s front office brass is waiting for Sandoval’s other suitors to place their bids before drawing up a contract. Sandoval has said that he’d like to play the rest of his career in San Francisco, but that feel-good sentiment came after the Giants won the 2014 World Series.
The odd addition of the Padres to the Sandoval sweepstakes increases the chances of the “Panda” taking his talents to a new town in 2015. The Giants will not engage in a bidding war with the Red Sox and Padres in order to re-sign the 2012 World Series MVP. San Francisco has several pressing needs this offseason, which makes it illogical to break the bank on a single player, especially one who could be in decline.
Sandoval’s OPS has declined each year since 2011. His .739 mark from 2014 was just seven points better than his .732 mark from 2010, the year in which he was benched during the postseason for being noticeably out of shape. Interestingly, Sandoval’s overall numbers were oddly similar this past season in comparison to 2010. Sandoval recorded 50 extra-base hits with 63 RBIs in 2010 while recording just 45 extra-base hits with 73 RBIs in 2014.
Sandoval’s inflated interest this offseason is a mere product of a lack of premier third basemen being available. Other top-notch hot corner options include Chase Headley and Hanley Ramirez. Both could soon become the topic of rumors surrounding the Giants if Sandoval wraps up a deal with either the Red Sox or Padres this weekend.
Sandoval boasts more value to the Giants than any club around the league. He’s been a face of the Giants’ dynasty, and has also been a fan favorite since arriving on scene in 2008. If anyone should overpay for Sandoval, it should be the Giants. They’ve been down that rode before, though, and likely won’t partake in a bidding war because of it.
John Shea is an MLB writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @real_johnshea. Like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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