Red Sox Officially Release Pablo Sandoval
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox designated Pablo Sandoval for assignment last week, giving the team the option of trading, waiving, or releasing him after removing him from the 40-man roster. Now, the team has officially announced that Sandoval has been released, making him a free agent.
The Red Sox' major offensive problems at third base have stemmed largely from the struggles of Sandoval, a player for whom the Red Sox had virtually no backup plan. Sandoval batted just .212 with a .622 OPS in 32 games for the Red Sox in 2017, and .237 with 14 home runs and a .646 OPS in 161 games spaced over two and a half seasons.
Sandoval originally signed a five-year, $95 million deal with the Red Sox before the 2015 season. The Red Sox are still on the hook for over $48 million to pay Sandoval for not playing.
The disastrous end to the Sandoval era has left the Red Sox desperately searching for offensive help at third base, where the team has posted a .607 OPS at the position so far in 2017. They were involved in trade rumors for Todd Frazier, who went to the Yankees in a trade on Tuesday night.
They have also reportedly targeted the Mets' Asdrubal Cabrera and the Giants' Eduardo Nuñez.
