The deal is for five years.
On the heels of his third World Series win with the San Francisco Giants, 28-year-old third baseman Pablo Sandoval has agreed to a substantial deal with the Red Sox, Jon Heyman of CBS reports.
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The structure of the contract has not been disclosed, but is said to be "between $95 million and $100 million."
Prior to the 2014 season, Sandoval and the Giants, the team he first signed with in 2008, could not agree on a long-term contract. It's rumored that Sandoval was looking for a contract similar to what had been offered to Hunter Pence, $90 million over five years.
In this past regular season, Sandoval batted .279 with an OPS of .739. However, in the postseason, his average ballooned up to .366with an OPS of .423. He is a monster in October, and the Red Sox were right to take notice.
Sandoval has been inconsistent over his first seven years in the league. His weight has long been a concern of the Giants, as it's affected his agility and base-running abilities. Sandoval was looking for a longer deal, and he is smart to take the offer from Boston. It is likely that his abilities, already streaky at times, will drop off significantly in the next two or three seasons.
Sandoval's regular salary in 2014 was $8,250,000.
Via cbssports.com
The Red Sox are reportedly also close to a deal with Sandoval's now-former NL West rival, shortstop Hanley Ramirez. His deal is rumored to be $90 million over five.
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Ramirez appears to be a good fit for the AL. His fielding has been inconsistent, but he is a hard hitter who has consistently finished above league average in OPS. In 2013, he hit .345, .638 SLG, and finished with a 1.040 OPS. He finished the 2014 season (in which he played more games) with .283/.448/.817.
