MLB teams often hit on their free agent signings, but they also strike out a lot.
No franchise has a perfect record.
Some of the misses, however, often linger in the fans’ memory for a long, long time.
They often limit future expenses and hamstring an organization for at least a couple of years.
For the Boston Red Sox, Pablo Sandoval is the one signing they regret to this day, probably every day.
“I think Pablo Sandoval might be the most universally disliked former player in Red Sox history,” Thomas Carrieri tweeted.
I think Pablo Sandoval might be the most universally disliked former player in Red Sox history.pic.twitter.com/LtvqI6L994
—Thomas Carrieri (@Thomas_Carrieri) February 8, 2023
Sandoval was one of the best third basemen in the game in the late-2000s and early 2010s.
He spent seven fruitful years with the San Francisco Giants, helping them win not one or two, but three World Series.
Before the 2015 campaign, he signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Sox.
With the Giants, Sandoval had a terrific 118 OPS+ (100 is average) in parts of 11 seasons, both before and after his stint in Boston.
With the Red Sox, he only played 161 games and posted a horrid 71 OPS+, or 29 points below the league average.
Injuries and conditioning issues limited him for the duration of the deal.
The situation got so bad at one point that the Red Sox had to designate Sandoval for assignment in the summer of 2017, just two years after signing him to his deal.
The Red Sox won a World Series just before committing to him, in 2013, and another one not long after that, in 2018.
Despite all that, fans probably don’t want to remember the brief but rough Sandoval era.
