The former All-Star slugger Pablo Sandoval in a recent interview told GQ that he regretted signing with the Boston Red Sox in 2014. The third baseman said that the move was a big disappointment in his MLB career. Before joining the Red Sox, Sandoval played for the San Francisco Giants.
“I should have stayed, I know,” Sandoval said. “I learned my lesson. But I’m happy I went through it, man, because I kept my eyes open and learned a lot of things.”
Sandoval began his major league career with the Giants in 2008. In his debut year, the Venezuela native made .847 OPS in 41 games. The achievement made him the starting third baseman for the Giants in the 2009 season. He made 25 home runs and 90 RBI in 153 games that season.
He spent the first seven seasons of his major league career in San Francisco. During his first period with the team, Sandoval won the World Series three times and made two All-Star teams.
Red Sox career
The Giants offered a five-year $95 million contract to Sandoval in November 2014. According to the news, the deal could have been increased to $100 million at that time. However, Sandoval chose a $95 million offer from the Red Sox. This contract also lasted for five years and included a team option for the sixth year. He signed with the Boston team as a free agent.
Unlike his happy experience with the Giants, Sandoval struggled through his years with the Red Sox. Fans in Boston did not give him a warm welcome. There was an issue about Sandoval’s weight that made him a subject to many critics from Boston fans. This weight issue had started in San Francisco but got more severe when he moved.
“We make mistakes. We can make errors. And you know, it’s part of the game,” Sandoval explained his situation at that time. “But fans don’t realize that we are human beings. We got lifestyle. We have problems, too. We have off-the-field things. And they don’t understand that.”
Although he made great records in the Giants, Sandoval only managed to notch a .245/.292/.366 slash line from 126 games in the first season with the Red Sox. However, he sustained a shoulder injury and could only participate in three games in 2016. The Red Sox released him in the middle of the 2017 MLB season.
Hunter Pence, a former Giants outfielder, had an opinion on Sandoval’s downward career direction after the move. He reasoned that Sandoval’s young age was the main contributor.
“People don’t realize that because he was so talented, he’s having to make these wild decisions at such a young age,” Pence said. “It’s tough in this world to know who to trust and who’s telling you what. There are a lot of people pulling you a lot of directions, especially being a part of three World Series and winning a World Series MVP.”
Sandoval eventually returned to the Giants from 2017 to 2020. He then signed with the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians briefly.
Currently, the third baseman is playing in the Mexican League. During the off-season, he signed with Acereros de Monclova. Later in May, though, Olmecas de Tabasco took him over with waivers.