Red Sox release Pablo Sandoval
The Pablo Sandoval era in Boston has officially come to an end, as the Red Sox announced Wednesday that they've officially released the third baseman five days after he was designated for assignment.
By releasing him outright, Boston will be responsible for all of the $48.66 million remaining on Sandoval's five-year, $95-million contract, even if he joins another organization.
A three-time World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants, Sandoval joined the Red Sox to great fanfare in the winter of 2014. But the experiment turned out to be a dismal failure from the get-go; Sandoval pushed through a subpar 2015 season while finding himself embroiled in multiple controversies - including being caught using social media during a game - and then missed all but three games in 2016 due to injury.
At the time of his DFA, Sandoval was on a rehab assignment in Triple-A due to an ear infection.
Sandoval ends his Red Sox career having hit just .237/.286/.360 with 14 homers and only minus-2.0 wins above replacement.
Related: If Sandoval isn't the worst free-agent signing of this century, who is?
Hours before the 30-year-old was given his release, Giants general manager Bobby Evans revealed the team might be open to a reunion with Sandoval in the near future. Sandoval himself was said to be interested in rejoining his old team in an earlier report.