Is Pablo Sandoval the guy we need?
As Red Sox chairman Tom Werner made an appearance on
WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan Show a few weeks ago, he made it clear he was on a mission this
offseason. “I wouldn’t say that we have endless money,” Werner said, “but
we’ve got a lot of money to spend and we’re determined to go into the free
agent market and improve the team.”
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| Sandoval could be the other left handed power bat this lineup needs Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com |
We know an improvement in the rotation will be on the
agenda but a third baseman could be as well. Sandoval who will demand a
substantial contract has tremendous value that will help fill the hole at third
base.
The Red Sox lineup is heavily right handed. Behind Ortiz
there is no power from the left side of the plate. The team has slashed
.243/.314/.362 against starters of the same variety, with 75 home runs in
3,400+ at bats.
Sandoval will greatly help fix that. Sandoval owns a
lifetime .840 OPS with 85 home runs and 140 doubles against right handed
starters. He slashed .317/.362/.505 with 13 homer runs and 15 RBI. The group of
Red Sox third basemen has managed a .209/.267/.304 slash with nine long balls
and 50 RBI.
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| Middlebrooks has struggled swinging the bat this year, and the Sox could be forced to look elsewhere Source: http://www.sbnation.com |
Sandoval would be a major upgrade over Will Middlebrooks
or Brock Holt but the price would be higher. Sandoval will probably be looking
at a 5 year, $75 million deal, but he is only 28. He could come into Boston and
have an immediate impact. The Red Sox will look to upgrade their third basemen
through free agency or through the trade market and if Tom Werner was serious
about spending money, Sandoval could find his way into a Red Sox uniform.
Stats and info from http://espn.go.com
