Pablo Sandoval Says He Regrets Signing Red Sox Contract over Giants in 2014

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If Pablo Sandoval could do things over, he would have re-signed with the San Francisco Giants as a free agent after the 2014 season.

In a new GQ profile from Joseph Bien-Kahn, Sandoval said he “should have stayed” with the Giants instead of signing with the Boston Red Sox.

“I know. I learned my lesson,” he added. “But I’m happy I went through it, man, because I kept my eyes open and learned a lot of things.”

The Giants signed Sandoval as an international free agent in 2003. The Venezuela native made his big league debut with the club at age 22 in August 2008. He made an immediate impact, posting an .847 OPS in 41 games to end the season.

As the starting third baseman in 2009, Sandoval finished seventh in NL MVP voting after posting a .330/.387/.556 slash line with 25 homers and 90 RBI in 153 games. He spent the first seven years of his career in San Francisco, winning three World Series and making two All-Star teams.

The Giants reportedly offered Sandoval a five-year, $95 million deal that could have gotten bumped up to $100 million in November 2014. Instead, he accepted a five-year, $95 million deal from the Red Sox that included a team option for a sixth season.

Things immediately went south for Sandoval in Boston. He had a .245/.292/.366 slash line in 126 games in his first season with the team. A shoulder injury limited him to three games in 2016, and he was released midway through the 2017 season.

Sandoval returned to the Giants for parts of four seasons before being designated for assignment late in the 2020 season. He signed with the Atlanta Braves before the end of 2020 and returned to the team in 2021.

Atlanta sent Sandoval to Cleveland in a midseason trade for Eddie Rosario last year. He was immediately released by Cleveland following the deal.

After going unsigned by MLB teams early in the offseason, Sandoval signed with Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. Kung Fu Panda is currently playing with Olmecas de Tabasco in Mexico after being claimed off waivers in May.