Image Source: MLB.com
Who would have thought that when the Red Sox brought Pablo Sandoval to Boston for the 2015 season that in 2016 he would not be a starter on the team.
On Thursday, Red Sox skipper John Farrell announced that Travis Shaw will be the teams starting third baseman over returning starter Sandoval.
“I’ve had a chance to meet with both guys this morning, as I’ve met with them numerous times throughout the course of Spring Training,” Farrel shared with the media. “For right now, to start the season, we feel this is the best for our team to go with this alignment.”
Sandoval was signed by the Red Sox in the fall of 2014 for five years/$95 million. In 2015, he batted .245, with 10 home runs, and 47 RBI’s in only 126 games. This spring he is batting .270 (10 for 37). with two home runs and six RBI’s.
“They made the decision,” Sandoval shared with the media. “It was the right decision to help the team win. I’m going to be ready during the season to do my job out there.”
As for Shaw he was drafted by the Red Sox in the 9th round of the 2011 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 2015, and in 65 games he batted .270, with 13 home runs and 36 RBI’s. This spring he is batting .333 (18 for 54), with two home runs and nine RBI’s.
“Very exciting,” Shaw told MLB.com. “I feel like I did what I needed to do this spring to put myself in the best position, and I’m looking forward to experiencing my first Opening Day.”
MLB.com reports that the Farrell’s main reason behind the deciding factor was improving the team on the defensive side.
Not many teams can boast that they have a $95 million player riding the bench. Will be interesting to see how it works out this season for the Red Sox.
David Conde
David is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Legends On Deck®, as well as a Co-Host on Legends On Deck Podcast. David was a Senior Editor for MetsMerizedOnline.com, MetsMinors.net and Contributor for Hardballchat.com that spanned from 2010 to 2014. David made his MLB Debut as a writer in June 2014, while covering the NY Mets at Citi Field, for MetsmerizedOnline.com. David also coaches baseball for ages 13-15, a Babe Ruth League team in his local community. David's passion is coaching the game he loves to the future Legends of Tomorrow as well as making available a website that people can have fun sharing and reading. David is also passionate about his career as a Mortgage Loan Officer which allows him to help many families reach their dreams of owning a home. Connect with David via his Social Media pages as he loves to chat all about baseball.
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