Pablo Sandoval spent three seasons with the Boston Red Sox after signing a five-year contract worth $95 million in 2014. A decision that the former third baseman now regrets in hindsight.
Speaking with GQ’s Joseph Bien-Kahn, Sandoval chimed in on his time with the Red Sox. “I should have stayed. I know. I learned my lesson,” Sandoval said Tuesday. “But I’m happy I went through it, man, because I kept my eyes open and learned a lot of things.”
Sandoval blossomed into a homegrown talent during his run with the San Francisco Giants, hoisting a trio of World Series titles (2010, 2012, 2014), and earning two National League All-Star spots (2011, 2012) — quickly becoming one of the Giants fans’ most beloved faces in San Francisco.
However, Sandoval’s tenure with the Red Sox was anything but beloved — playing in a total of 35 combined games in his final two seasons in Boston.
During his farewell season from Boston in 2017, Sandoval lasted just 32 games in which he only managed to bat .212 with only 21 base hits in 108 plate appearances — taking home over $48 million to not play in a Red Sox uniform.
The four-time World Series champion certainly wasn’t the most embraced by fans at Fenway, something Sandoval chimed in on when speaking with Bien-Kahn. “We make mistakes. We can make errors. And you know, it’s part of the game,” Sandoval said. “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.”
After an underwhelming stint in Beantown, Sandoval proceeded to spend five more seasons in the big leagues. In 2021, a 69-game run with the Atlanta Braves earned him his fourth World Series ring.
In 2022, Sandoval is playing for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the professional Mexican League.
