If the Red Sox Win the World Series, Does Pablo Sandoval Get a Ring?

Pablo Sandoval may rejoin the San Francisco Giants. Sandoval spent the first 7 seasons of his career in San Francisco, making 2 All-Star teams and winning 3 World Series and a World Series MVP. Then he signed one of the most incredible contracts in sports history with the Boston Red Sox.

Everything that followed that moment was amazing. Sandoval showed up to Spring Training looking like Pablo Sandoval and the media was somehow shocked. Midway through his first season in Boston he was benched for checking Instagram during a game. He swung at a pitch that was literally over his head. He showed up for his second Red Sox Spring Training looking the same. Then lost his job to a guy making $17 million less than him. He finished 2016 going 0-for-6 at the plate. He returned in 2017 to put up career lows in just about every statistical category and got cut.

The Red Sox still owe Sandoval $49 million including $18.6 million in each of the next two seasons. According to Baseball-Reference, Sandoval made $18,516,750 total in his 7 seasons with the San Francisco Giants. There’s something poetic about that and we shouldn’t be distracted by whatever fractional amount the Giants give Sandoval which offsets what Boston owes him. No matter what the Red Sox are paying Sandoval more per year to not play than the Giants paid him for 3 World Series titles.

And yet the Red Sox have one of the best records in baseball this season. The Giants have one of the worst. It’s plausible that the Red Sox could win the 2017 World Series. Sandoval did appear in 32 games for Boston this season. If they win the World Series they should really give him a ring. Not just because it would be hilarious, but because they would have a plausible case that the signing actually resulted in a championship. That is why they signed him.