This Friday morning, the Internet is ablaze at the revelation at San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval is seeking a six-year contract in free agency.
Pablo Sandoval is seeking at least a six-year free-agent contract, with the length of the deal more important to the third baseman than the dollars, his agent just told me.
[…]
“Pablo is 28,” Vasquez said. “He is still young. Maybe if he was 30 or 31 we could talk about four or five years. But he’s 28. He deserves more than that.”
Sandoval has no specific dollar figure in mind, but Vasquez said the Panda is willing to work with a team on the average annual value of a contract if he gets the years he wants.
Is this really all that crazy? Sandoval is the youngest of all of the free agents with significant third base experience. Since his first full season of 2009, he ranks eighth among all third basemen in games played, a list that includes Miguel Cabrera, Mark Reynolds, Martin Prado, and Alberto Callaspo – all of whom logged significant time at other positions. His 19.9 fWAR is seventh among third basemen, and the only player ahead of him that is also reasonably available this winter is fellow free agent Chase Headley, a good two-plus years older than Sandoval.
Yeah, he’ll probably have to switch positions before his contract is over, but so did Ryan Zimmerman, a completely different player compared to Sandoval. If a team really wants to upgrade at third, their only options this winter are giving Sandoval his six years, or paying a soon-to-be 31 year old Headley for his decline years.
[SFGate]
