The Boston Red Sox have signed a number of free agents over the years by simply having deeper pockets than the rest of the league, but that may not have been the case with Pablo Sandoval. According to WCVB’s Mike Lynch, Sandoval was offered the same amount of money — somewhere in the five-year, $100 million range — from Boston and the San Francisco Giants.
Sandoval, who won three World Series championships with the Giants, reportedly felt disrespected by his former team. He wanted to work out a long-term extension with San Francisco before last season, but the Giants made him a low-ball offer.
As one of the most clutch hitters in postseason history, Sandoval obviously felt that the Giants should have given him a deal closer to the one he was seeking instead of letting him get to free agency. There has even been chatter that he was going to make the Giants pay more than other teams if they wanted to keep him.
That’s the risk teams take by letting their players go to free agency. By looking for a player to take a hometown discount, you risk losing them in free agency even if your offer is competitive. It appears that is exactly what happened with Sandoval and the Giants.
