Pablo Sandoval seemingly had it all in San Francisco: fame, fortune, rings.
So why on Earth would he leave the defending World Series champions, who originally signed him as an amateur free agent in 2003, to join a team that’s coming off a last-place finish?
Respect.
“The Giants made a good offer, but I didn’t want to take it,” Sandoval recently told Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller at Boston Red Sox spring training in Fort Myers. “I got five years (and $95 million) from Boston. I left money on the table in San Francisco.
“It is not about money. It is about how you treat the player.”
The Red Sox and Giants were considered the front-runners for Sandoval’s services in free agency the second the big third baseman caught Salvador Perez’s pop-up in foul territory to clinch San Francisco’s third World Series title in five seasons. Yet, in Sandoval’s mind, his decision almost seemed inevitable.
“I knew early in spring training last year I was going to leave,” Sandoval said. “They didn’t respect my agent. Contract talks, everything. The way (Giants general manager) Brian Sabean talked to my agent.”
Sandoval, who ruled out signing with the San Diego Padres because of their National League West allegiance, ultimately signed a five-year deal with the Red Sox in November, kickstarting an eventful offseason for Boston. At his introductory press conference at Fenway Park, the 28-year-old cited a “new challenge” as his reason for leaving the Bay Area. And come to find out, the decision wasn’t too difficult.
“Not hard at all,” Sandoval told Miller. “If you want me around, you make the effort to push and get me back.”
The Giants didn’t fulfill Sandoval’s wishes, and the two-time All-Star now will look to carve out a successful tenure with the Red Sox. Kung Fu Panda already is fitting in, too. He told Miller that Giants manager Bruce Bochy and outfielder Hunter Pence really are all that he misses about San Francisco.
“But now, I feel like I’m home,” Sandoval said.
Home is where the heart is. And Panda’s heart clearly has changed coasts.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
