The San Francisco Giants made a surprising move Saturday.
San Francisco reportedly signed polarizing infielder Pablo Sandoval to a non-roster deal, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.
"The Giants will honor their 2014 team in August, and with Brandon Crawford still a free agent, they have been without any members of that roster for the first time," Pavlovic said. "That’s about to change. Pablo Sandoval will come to camp as a non-roster invitee, NBC Sports Bay Area has learned, and this isn’t necessarily just to provide a send-off like the Giants did with Sergio Romo, at least in the Panda's mind.
"Sandoval has been telling friends that he feels great and is trying to make a comeback at the age of 37. Sandoval hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2021 when he hit .178 with four homers for the Atlanta Braves. He played for two different organizations in Mexico the next year, and last fall he briefly played in a league in Dubai."
Sandoval began his big league career with the Giants in 2008 and helped lead the club to three World Series titles. He eventually signed a five-year deal with the Boston Red Sox ahead of the 2015 campaign and struggled.
He appeared in just 161 total games with Boston before being designated for assignment and signing back with the Giants.
Since re-joining the Giants, he has bounced around the big leagues and the minors and also spent some time with the Atlanta Braves. Sandoval last appeared in a big league game in 2021 with Atlanta.
Over the last few years, he has spent in Mexico and Dubai continuing his professional baseball career.
It would be surprising to see him play much of a role with the Giants at 37 years old, but stranger things have happened.
More must-reads: