Massarotti: Benching Sandoval More Of An Intervention By Red Sox
BOSTON (CBS) -- At this stage, the more we learn about Pablo Sandoval, the more we understand the reality of what the Red Sox are doing. What we have here, folks, is an intervention.
And it is absolutely, positively, indisputably the right thing to do.
In case you missed it, the Boston Herald today published an interview with Ethan Banning, a trainer who formerly worked with Sandoval. In it, Banning reveals a number of nuggets, including the rather simple idea that Sandoval has an eating "problem." (Ya think?) The former trainer recounted an episode in which Sandoval went home to Venezuela for three weeks and gained 21 pounds in 21 days, heretofore known as the Pound-A-Day diet.
Pablo doesn't just eat, it seems. He pounds. This is probably why Banning compared Sandoval to "the alcoholic that won't admit he's an alcoholic."
Before anyone takes this as a merciless bashing of the Kung Fu Panda, stop. It isn't. Mike Krukow, a broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants organization that once employed Sandoval, made similar claims during spring training. Sandoval absolutely, positively has a problem, and the question is whether the Red Sox are doing the right thing by calling him out for it.
Let's back up here for a minute: when the Red Sox signed Sandoval to a five-year, $95 million contract, everyone knew the issues. It wasn't as if Sandoval was Slim Whitman when the Red Sox signed him, Fats Domino when he showed up. Pablo is who Pablo was, which means the Red Sox knew what they were getting into. Sandoval's misfortune is that the Red Sox fired the man who signed him, Ben Cherington, and brought in some else (Dave Dombrowski) who has no allegiance to him or the contract.
So Pablo sits. Then he goes on the disabled list. Whether we see him in a major league again, in a Red Sox uniform, is entirely debatable.
That said, what are the Red Sox supposed to do here? Last season, in his current physical state, Sandoval ranked 130th among the 141 qualifying major league players in OPS. His defense was poor. Just because the Red Sox have to pay him doesn't mean they have to play him, which is why manager John Farrell (empowered by Dombrowski) made it clear early on that Travis Shaw could win the starting job at third base.
Shaw won the job in spring training. Sandoval lost it months ago.
When the Red Sox made that decision formal, many wondered whether the Sox were doing the right thing, whether they might "lose" Sandoval by punishing him. But how can you lose something you never had? Again, whether Dombrowski would have been so forceful with one of his own signings is certainly debatable. But the bottom line is that the new Red Sox administration has nothing invested in Sandoval and so they're not afraid to bite the bullet.
How Sandoval responds to this is anybody's guess. It is entirely possible that Sandoval disappears, shows no pride or emotion, no incentive to win his job back. And while the Red Sox have taken their share of criticism over the years for their play on the field, their personnel decisions and their tactless handling of things like the Terry Francona firing, they're doing more here than merely trying to embarrass a player and reclaim a portion of their investment.
Ultimately, they're trying to help Pablo Sandoval, too, whether he believes it or not.
