Pablo Sandoval Rumors: Padres Hand-Delivered Offer To Kung Fu Panda

The San Diego Padres are reportedly trying to get in the mix to sign free agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval as the MLB off-season starts to get interesting.

Generally speaking, the assumption is that the sweepstakes for Pablo Sandoval will come down to the Boston Red Sox and the incumbent San Francisco Giants. But could the San Diego Padres be the surprise team to get in the mix for the Kung Fu Panda?

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Maybe the Padres are a long shot to sign Sandoval, but it won’t be for lack of effort. According to Jon Heyman of CBS, new Padres’ general manager A.J. Preller actually hand-delivered a contract offer to Sandoval.

"The Padres, a surprise big player this winter, made what was termed a “very serious” offer for star free agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval, and new Padres GM A.J. Preller is believed to have hand-delivered that Sandoval bid en route to the Dominican Republic, where he continued his spirited dual pursuit of Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas."

As Heyman also notes, the team’s simultaneous pursuit of Tomas signals a surprisingly willingness to throw down some serious money this off-season, a significant change from previous off-seasons in San Diego.

Sandoval reportedly said that he wants to “feel respected” this off-season, a comment that may or may not suggest a feeling of disrespect from the Giants. If that abstraction is truly a priority for Sandoval, then perhaps a hand-delivered contract offer from the Padres was a meaningful gesture as he chooses his new team.

It would be an upset to see Sandoval land with the Padres, but hey, stranger things have happened.

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