Passan: Red Sox, Sandoval Heading For A Divorce
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's no longer a matter of "if" the Red Sox will move on from Pablo Sandoval; it's really just down to "when" the divorce happens.
The Red Sox placed their burly and expensive third base reserve on the disabled list on Wednesday with a shoulder injury, despite the fact he still hasn't received an MRI on the shoulder.
It's something Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, in his 13th year covering baseball, has never seen before. To Passan, it's clear that Dave Dombrowski would like to move on from Ben Cherington's $95 million mistake.
"With this new regime in Boston, the sense I've gotten is they just want to start fresh. I don't know if that means this is imminent or may take a little while to happen, but ultimately these two sides will be divorcing. It's just a matter of when," he told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand on Thursday.
"I don't think he will hesitate to pull the rip cord," he said of Dombrowski. "The sense I've gotten is we're inching closer and closer to that. It was just such a curious thing, the way he got sent to the DL without an MRI, and with no urgency to send him for an MRI when he reported a shoulder injury," he added.
Passan wrote Wednesday, shortly after Boston's mysterious transaction, that the Sox won't let Sandoval play again unless he loses weight or others in the lineup struggle. In other words, Sandoval likely won't be in the starting nine anytime soon.
That could all change if Boston doesn't find any takers on the trade front, but in all likelihood, we won't be seeing anymore belt-busting at-bats by Sandoval in a Red Sox uniform.
"Next week, John Henry may say, 'I'm done with this, get rid of him.' Or Dave Dombrowski may say, 'let's give him a chance, his trade market is dry.' But gun to my head, I don't think he takes another at-bat with [the Red Sox]," said Passan.
