The Giants might want to re-acquire Pablo Sandoval

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Perhaps it’s just the boredom that comes with the start of the offseason and the sudden lack of baseball games, but it seems the market is moving slowly this year. There have been a couple moves here and there, but so far nothing Earth-shattering has happened. Part of this is because of the weak free agent market, and part of it is because of the uncertainty surrounding the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Whatever you want to blame it on, though, all we have right now are rumors to sustain our thirst for action. On Friday night, we got one hell of a rumor to wet our collective appetites. According to reports, the Giants have had internal discussions about re-acquiring Pablo Sandoval from the Red Sox.

On the surface, it seems like a crazy idea. San Francisco was involved in the sweepstakes for the third baseman’s services when he was a free agent, but came up short. Taking him on now after a dismal 2015 and a 2016 that saw him miss virtually the entire season would defy expectations. On the other hand, they know he can be successful there, and have experience in getting the best out of him. Furthermore, Sandoval is just entering his age-30 season, meaning he’s not exactly at the end of his career. There is still some upside here, even if it seems to be miles away, and the Giants could theoretically get it without giving up anything of value. Plus, one would expect Boston to eat a good portion of the contract.

For Boston, it may seem like an obvious move, but the same upside exists for him with the Red Sox. Things look like a lost cause now, but one needn’t look further than John Lackey, or even Rick Porcello, for a similar turnaround at Fenway. On the other hand, for every one of those there’s a Carl Crawford, and they were willing to cut bait with that failed signing. It would certainly hurt to eat money for Sandoval to play for another organization, but their owners have the cash. Plus, the money they wouldn’t have to eat could be used to find another solution at third base. This seems like a crazy rumor, and chances are nothing will come of it. Crazier things have happened, though, and this time of year we need all the excitement we can get.