Everything that’s taken place in the past week suggests Pablo Sandoval is going to return to the Giants.
But on Thursday afternoon, San Francisco Giants’ CEO Larry Baer joined Tolbert and Lund on KNBR 680 and suggested the brakes need to be pumped on the return of the Panda.
“Pablo Sandoval is not necessarily going to be a Giant,” Baer said. “He has to pass waivers and a deal has to be worked out.”
Sandoval was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox in the third year of his five-year contract on July 14, and has reportedly refused an assignment to AAA Pawtucket which means Sandoval will become a free agent on Friday, July 21. Though teams cannot agree to terms of a contract before seven days have passed, on Thursday evening, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reported that Sandoval plans to sign with the Giants on Friday.
Baer spoke openly about the possibility of the Giants inking Sandoval to a contract with Tolbert and Lund, and answered a few hypothetical questions regarding Sandoval’s potential return. Baer said for the Giants to be comfortable with bringing Sandoval back, general manger Bobby Evans would need to receive a blessing from Bruce Bochy, who knows the Giants’ clubhouse like the back of his hand.
Baer suggested if Bochy feels like Sandoval would be a good fit, then the Giants would have the green light to bring Sandoval back.
“You weigh all of that and I think what Bobby (Evans) and Brian (Sabean) and the group felt is if he had his success here, you also got to look at what Bruce Bochy has said,” Baer said. “Nobody knows the clubhouse and nobody knows the effect he would have on the team as a risk reward as well as Boch. And what Boch said, is if he could play, he would be welcome in the clubhouse.”
After working through a few hypothetical situations, Tolbert asked Baer whether the Giants still had the ever-popular Panda hats in a storage room in the depths of AT&T Park. Baer joked that the Giants were not thinking about bringing back Sandoval to sell a few hats, and squashed that idea.
“I don’t think we have Panda hats still in inventory and I don’t think we’ve ordered any,” Baer said.
To listen to Tolbert and Lund’s interview with Larry Baer, click below.