With the 2014 season now over and done with and free agency officially underway, one Giant who was instrumental in the team capturing their third title in 5 seasons this year will not be returning in 2015. That's right, fans of the orange and black will be forced to retire their panda hats with the news of free-agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval agreeing to terms with the Boston Red Sox. The deal which has not yet been made official by the ball club, is said to be in the $100 Million range over five-years. While the exact figures of what Giants general manager Brian Sabean had offered Sandoval have not yet been released, their offer wasn't far off from what Boston and Sandoval had agreed to according to sources.
The Red Sox who ranked last in the Majors in batting average at the third base position this past season, will get a much needed jolt with the signing of Sandoval. After a very slow start, the 28-year old Sandoval had a torrid second half to the season before finishing the year having clubbed 16 homers and driving in 73 runs while posting a .279 batting average. Most impressive of all, however, is the 26 hits Sandoval recorded during the Postseason in 2014, the most all-time in a single Postseason. While Sandoval has never hit more than 25 home runs in his career, albeit playing all seven Big League seasons in the pitcher friendly AT&T Park, the Kung-Fu Panda has also never reached the 100 RBI mark. But transitioning his game to Fenway Park could do wonders for his already solid numbers. His defense which is also above average and probably doesn't get as much praise as it deserves, will also be appreciated in Bean Town. Though I highly doubt they'll embrace Sandoval the way the fans in San Francisco did with complete and utter 'Pandamonium'.
Looking to bounce back from a forgetful 2014 season in which they finished last in the AL East at 71-91 after making it to and winning the World Series in 2013, the Red Sox also landed free-agent shortstop Hanley Ramirez who agreed to a 4-year, $88 Million deal which also includes a $22 Million vesting option for a fifth year. Ramirez who turns 31 next month and played the last 2 1/2 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will return to the organization that drafted him and saw him make his Big League debut before being traded to the Florida Marlins back in 2005 where he later won a batting title.
As for the reigning World Series Champion Giants who now have a gaping hole in their infield and made it their top priority to focus on the re-signing of Pablo Sandoval before doing anything else this offseason, the door is now open for the GM Brian Sabean to look elsewhere. While the Giants could always retaliate by snagging All-Star pitcher Jon Lester via free-agency who was traded from the Red Sox to Oakland near the trade deadline and is being perused by Boston, they could also take a shot at landing Yasmany Tomas who is said to be the next bright young star from Cuba.
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When it comes to athletes and their jewelery or as most like to call it "Bling" nowadays, the possibilities are endless on the ridiculous meter. As we've seen about a month or so ago with Boston Celtics guard Marquis Daniels who had a chain customized to fit only him, the bar was raised pretty high. Although I don't think anyone can top just how absurd Daniels' face pendant is, Florida Marlins All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez came pretty close. Last season saw the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year win the batting tittle with a .342 batting average, edging out San Francisco's Pablo Sandoval who finished the season hitting .330. But threatening Daniels' reputation for having some of the most head shrugging bling known to man, is the piece Han-Ram was given by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria prior to the start of the 2010 season.In rewards to his impressive 2009 achievement, Loria surprised Ramirez with a customized diamond-studded necklace with Hanley's name, number and batting average on it. Paying homage to his coveted feat, the expensive neck piece consists of 394 diamonds and is guaranteed to turn some heads. However, if Ramirez plans to show off his new pendant, it will have to be off the field considering the Marlins have a team policy that bans long hair and jewelery. Ramirez was unhappy with the policy and wasn't afraid to let it be known as both he and the Marlins front office bumped heads around this time of year last season. But with a happy Ramirez and a fresh piece of ice around his neck at the start of the 2010 season, I don't think there will be any issues between last year's NL batting champ and the Fish.Replica's of Han-Ram's necklace were given out to the first 5,000 fans at the Marlins' home opener on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. As sad as it sounds, I'm sure they still had some left granted the Marlins usually average around 4,000 fans or so per game...
