Pablo Sandoval, Still Owed $49 Million, Out In Boston

BOSTON, MA — Pablo Sandoval appears done in Boston. In fairness, he's appeared done ever since he arrived from San Francisco with his five-year, $95 million contract in hand.

The Red Sox designated Sandoval, the hitter formerly known as 'The Panda"' for assignment. That means the team must either trade or release him within 10 days, unless Sandoval accepts a minor league assignment, which is highly unlikely.

The team still owes him $49 million.

"You're talking about a lot of money. I give ownership a lot of credit that they're willing to allow us to do this," Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. "Yet, I would also say from a playing perspective, Pablo just wasn't playing as well as we'd hoped."

Thus comes an end to one of the worst free agent signings in Red Sox history. Sandoval was brought over from the Bay Area, where he was insanely popular with the fans after being an integral part of three World Series-winning Giants teams. He signed a fat contract to come to Boston after the 2014 season.

Sandoval's weight went from being a lovable part of his brand to a major issue in Boston. He struggled to stay in shape and healthy. Sandoval ended up playing 161 games in two and a half seasons with Boston, the equivalent of one full season. He hit .237 with 14 homers and 59 RBIs and was a mess at third base. By advanced metrics, he graded out to be worth less to the team than an league-average replacement player would.

"It really came down to us feeling we were not a better club if he was on our club at the major league level," Dombrowski said.

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Materials from the Associated Press were included in this report