Panda-Ball

[Rog]

Pablo Sandoval says he knew before the start of the 2014 season that he wouldn't be back with the Giants.  He apparently felt disrespected by their 3/$40 offer, which was indeed a real low-ball outreach.  But was he truly disrespected?

The Giants say their offer extended before the end of spring training went to $80 million including incentives and option years.  Depending on how that was structured, it certainly wasn't insulting and might have been a good offer at that time, one that Sandoval gambled against and won.  The Giants say they matched the Red Sox's 5/$95 offer, with a mutual understanding that it wasn't the Giants' final offer.

The Giants have been called liars here, but perhaps it was Pablo who was lying when at the World Series parade he pledged "his love for the team and the city," according to Giants Extra.  I suspect Pablo was merely caught up in the moment.

Maybe after 11 years with the Giants, he decided it was time for a different challenge.  That's right; 11 years.  Hard to say he didn't earn his "freedom."

[sfgdood]

I'm disappointed in Pablo now...big time. Still not butt hurt enough to forget that without him we would not have won titles in '12 and '14. But I have to say his statements this week have shocked me and it puts some of his other quotes into a very negative light. His statements also, if true, show why Sabean is terrible at luring FAs.

[Islandboagie]

As a fan, I'm hurt by Pablo's comments, I could only imagine what his ex-teammates might feel about them.

Say what you will about Sabean, but it's his job to be cutthroat at the negotiating table. At the table he's not dealing with the players, he's dealing with agents, who were hired by the players to be cutthroat and get them the most money they possibly can. I don't care who was disrespected at the table. That goes with the territory.

What I do care about is Pablo disrespecting his teammates. I liked Pablo, the Verlander game will go down in Giants lore as one of the greatest moments ever.

Great moment indeed. A great moment he just ruined for me.

[sfgdood]

The job of the GM is to be cutthroat when negotiating trades with other teams...NOT when negotiating with FAs. Cutthroats miss out on FAs. You need to court them and treat them with respect or you will get the results Sabean has had with FAs...terrible.

[Rog]

There are two problems the Giants have had since the departure of Barry Bonds:

. In an effort to retain team chemistry, they may have re-signed too many of their own players.

. They have failed when they have given out large contracts to free agents.


Pablo Sandoval might turn out to be an exception to these two rules, but he would be fighting both of the Giants' two negative trends.

Incidentally, the Giants have done a good job of locking up Bumgarner and Posey, and they also negotiated a contract with Cain before he became a free agent. It is the guys who HAVE reached free agency with the Giants who have stumbled.

Again, though, this boils down to whether the Giants should be spending more. They're outspending 25 of the other 29 teams, so it's tough to make the argument that they aren't spending enough.