Pablo Sandoval Comeback Bid Draws Conflicting Outlooks

As San Francisco Giants fan favorite Pablo Sandoval attempts a comeback at age 37, one report already is throwing water on the idea.

“Despite the name recognition, it’s difficult to see how Sandoval would fit into the Giants’ plans this season,” The New York Post’s Dan Martin wrote in a story published February 18, the day before the Giants announced that Sandoval was signed to a minor league contract as a non-roster invitee to the Giants’ spring training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Martin wrote that Sandoval “hasn’t produced at the big league level” since 2019, the year he hit 14 home runs for the Giants. He last played in the major leagues in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, hitting just .178 with a .645 OPS and 4 homers in 69 games.

But NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic had a more optimistic take on Sandoval’s comeback bid.

“Sandoval was at Oracle Park last August for the Mike Murphy ceremony and was much slimmer than in his playing days, and he apparently has continued to work hard through the offseason,” Pavlovic reported on February 17 . “At the very least, he should bring another jolt of energy to the clubhouse this spring, and if he can hang around through March, he can play at Oracle Park one last time as [Sergio] Romo did last year.

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Does Pablo Sandoval Have Anything Left in the Tank?

Sandoval’s best bet for getting on the Giants’ Opening Day roster is as a backup to first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., according to MLB.com’s Maria Guardado.

“Still, the Giants don’t have many lefty options at first base outside of Wade, so Sandoval could potentially force himself into the infield conversation if he can show that he has something left in the tank this spring,” Guardado wrote on February 19.

Sandoval, the Giants’ World Series MVP in 2012, mostly has played third base in his 14 years in the majors, but he does have 129 games at first base, including two in 2021. The Giants expect to head into 2024 with Wade and Wilmer Flores splitting time at first base. Options at third base include J.D. Davis, Casey Schmitt and David Villar.

The “Kung Fu Panda” has bounced around leagues in Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Dubai since his last MLB game in 2021. His 2022 stint with Mexican professional team Olmecas de Tabasco was encouraging because he hit .311/.396/.466 with 7 home runs and 24 RBIs across 43 games.

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Are the Giants Done Making a Big Offseason Splash?

Sandoval is not the first former World Series MVP to join the Giants this offseason. Jorge Soler, who won the award in 2021 with the Braves, inked a three-year, $42 million contract earlier this month. Soler brings a heavy power bat to the Giants—he hit 36 homers with Miami last season.

“It’s exciting,” manager Bob Melvin said of Soler, per MLB.com. “This is a guy that we’ve been talking about for a while. A legit 30-home run guy. He’s had success on big stages. You look at some of the hard-hit metrics, he’s top five it seems like every year. This is a guy that gets you real impact. As a manager, you always know where he is and when he’s coming up.”

Between Soler, Jung Hoo Lee (six years, $113 million), right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks (four years, $44 million) and catcher Tom Murphy (two years, $8.25 million), the Giants have committed $207.25 million to free-agent additions this offseason. That is the second-highest total in the majors behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, who spent over $1 billion on Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto alone.

However, the Giants may not be done adding to their roster. The club has been linked to free agent stars Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, and Matt Chapman. Via trade, the Giants have already bolstered their starting rotation by acquiring Robbie Ray from the Seattle Mariners in January.

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