The San Francisco Giants Caught a Break in not Re-Signing Pablo Sandoval

With the news that Pablo Sandoval was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox, it proves that the San Francisco Giants were lucky not to re-sign him.

The San Francisco Giants have been known to keep guys around who helped them win World Series championships. Sandoval helped the San Francisco Giants win three World Series from 2010 to 2014.

However, that wasn’t exactly the case with Pablo Sandoval.

When he became a free agent after the 2014 season, the Giants pursued him pretty heavily. Sandoval had three similar offers from the Giants, Red Sox and San Diego Padres.

He ultimately chose the Red Sox who offered him $95 million over five years. The Giants were also reportedly in the 5 year, $90 million range.

So it’s not like the San Francisco Giants knew a downfall was coming, but it certainly seems to be a fortunate decision not to outmatch the Red Sox’ offer.

After hitting .294 with a .346 on-base-percentage in 3,215 at-bats with the San Francisco Giants, Sandoval hit just .237 with a .286 on-base-percentage in 575 at-bats for the Red Sox over two-and-a-half years.

Just like in San Francisco, Sandoval dealt with a lot of weight issues. And as he progressed in age, he started to suffer more injuries as a result.

He played in 126 games for Boston in 2015 after leaving the Giants. In 2016 he only played in three games, and then this year he’s played in only 32 games.

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You knew there was going to be some decline for Pablo Sandoval, but not to those extremes. He’s been absolutely terrible since leaving San Francisco.

Can you imagine the mess we’d have on our hands if the San Francisco Giants re-signed Pablo Sandoval?

I do feel bad for the Panda as he was loved by San Francisco Giants fans. And he was a key part of the 2012 and 2014 World Series championships, winning the MVP in the 2012 World Series after hitting .500 with 3 home runs.

No one is going to trade for Sandoval with that huge contract, so he’ll likely clear waivers and become a free agent. I hope somebody — not the San Francisco Giants — gives him a chance.

Next: First Half Awards for the San Francisco Giants: ROY, Cy Young & MVP

Looking back, as hard as it was to see the Panda go, not re-signing Pablo Sandoval looks like a very wise move for the San Francisco Giants.