Red Sox Rumors: Pablo Sandoval ‘Leaning Towards Boston’
By Hayden Kane
Free agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval reportedly has offers on the table from three MLB teams and is “leaning towards” signing with the Boston Red Sox.
Pablo Sandoval has two chances to return to the National League West. If he does not go that route, he will be headed to the American League East.
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According to reports, Sandoval has offers on the table from three teams: the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Boston Red Sox. The Giants offer familiarity, the Padres offer the most money, and the Red Sox offer some combination of intrigue and money. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Sandoval is “leaning towards the Red Sox” and will choose his team this week:
"I hear Pablo Sandoval has received his highest contract offer from the Padres but is leaning toward accepting an offer from the Red Sox, though events could change in a hurry.Giants assistant GM Bobby Evans, who spoke with agent Gustavo Vasquez on Thursday morning, had suggested the third baseman could make his decision before Thanksgiving and that the Sandoval camp asked the Giants to submit their best offer."
The interesting thing about this report is that it seems like it is potentially a negotiating tactic from Sandoval’s camp: plant the seed that Kung Fu Panda’s departure is a very real possibility, then ask for a best-and-final offer from the Giants that is worth more money. That could be the case, but it is just as likely that Sandoval is genuinely leaning towards choosing Boston given their aggressive push to sign him.
In a free agent market that is thin on position player talent, it sounds like the Red Sox are in the lead for one of the biggest targets, at least for now.
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