Boston Red Sox: It’s time to move on from Pablo Sandoval
For the third day in a row, Pablo Sandoval is not in the Boston Red Sox lineup. It’s time to move on from the failing third baseman.
Pablo Sandoval isn’t injured, but Josh Rutledge has replaced him as the Boston Red Sox third baseman in each of the last three games. It seems like Sandoval is finally falling out of favor with the club, but they need to do more.
Sandoval is a waste of space on the bench. I don’t trust him to come in for a clutch pinch hit, and you certainly can’t view him as a defensive replacement deep into games. What is he doing here? He’s not needed in Boston.
Offensively, Pablo Sandoval is hitting just .205. He hasn’t been any better in the field though as he already has 4 errors in his limited playing time.
For this season, the Red Sox should run a platoon of Rutledge and Deven Marrero. They have prospects coming up that could fill the 3B role next year in Rafael Devers or Michael Chavis. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or both of those guys see some action in September.
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Boston could also trade for a 3B to finish out the year as there are a number of guys in the final year of their contracts. Those targets could be Todd Frazier with the White Sox or Mike Moustakas with the Royals.
In all of this, one thing is almost a certainty. Pablo Sandoval will not be the Boston Red Sox third baseman in 2018. What they do with him is unknown at this point, but he won’t be here. It will be tough to find a trade partner with the size of Panda’s contract, so the team may have to cut their losses, cut him, and eat the costs.
Sandoval is owed $60 million over the next three seasons if you include the $5 million buyout in 2020.
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The Red Sox are caught between a rock and a hard place with Pablo Sandoval. If you cut him, you’re losing a ton of money and paying a player to not play for you. If you keep him in the majors you’re wasting a spot on the bench. What do you think Boston should do?